MARTA’s new tap-to-pay faregates will be operational at all 38 train stations on Friday

Share Add Us On Google Add as a preferred source on Google ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — MARTA’s tap-to-pay technology will be operational systemwide Friday, CEO Jonathan Hunt announced Thursday. MARTA has replaced all 450 of its faregates at 38 train stations as part of its “Better Breeze” project. Hunt said the final three stations to finish the conversion are the Avondale, Dunwoody and Kensington stations. Tap-to-pay technology is already installed on all MARTA buses. The streetcar will finish its changeover next week, according to Hunt. “These capabilities will strengthen our ability to promote fare compliance and protect the integrity of our system,” Hunt said. During the transition, MARTA lost at least $19 million in revenue as many faregates remained open during construction. MARTA said it budgeted for a loss of $14 million and opted to keep stations open for riders during the transition. Fare revenue accounts for roughly 10% of MARTA’s budget, according to a spokesperson. Hunt said the agency will now crack down on fare evasion. Starting the second week of December, MARTA will add magnet locks to emergency doors to help deter people from skipping payment. The agency also will start using fare inspection devices, especially on the Rapid-A bus line. Hunt said the fare collection upgrades are part of MARTA’s new mission. The mission goes beyond the agency’s current goals of offering a safe, clean and reliable system. Hunt said Thursday the new mission was “leading the nation in customer experience, operations and innovation.” Hunt also updated the progress of the safety tests underway on the CQ400s, MARTA’s new train line set to come online. He did not provide a date for their launch into revenue service, but Hunt said they are “extremely close” to finishing their “rigorous” safety testing. “We will put these trains into service when they are ready. We will not compromise safety or reliability to meet any arbitrary date. That said, we are very, very close and I look forward to these trains carrying customers in the near future,” Hunt said. MARTA previously announced the first of these trains would be in service ahead of the World Cup in June. Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.