MATA launches new transit service
The new curb-to-curb transit service, Ready! by MATA, is launching within the Boxtown, Westwood and Whitehaven neighborhoods. (Daily Memphian file)
Memphis Area Transit Authority is launching its new curb-to-curb transit service, Ready! by MATA, for the Boxtown, Westwood and Whitehaven neighborhoods Monday, Aug. 2.
Riders can reserve a pick-up or drop-off ride within the designated service area by phone to complete various tasks such as trips to the grocery store, medical appointments or to connect to fixed route buses for longer distance travel.
“As our customers’ transportation needs change, so should our offerings to ensure sustainable, viable options for efficient travel,” MATA CEO Gary Rosenfeld said in a news release. “Ready! by MATA is a transportation solution we’re proud and excited to provide to communities with specific transit needs.”
Ready! will operate from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Riders can call the reservation phone line at 901-322-0466 from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
MATA’s goal is to pick up a rider within 10-20 minutes, though depending on usage and time of day, rides may arrive up to 30 minutes after booking. Ready! will be free for an introductory period, but afterwards fares will cost the same as fixed route services.
The transit agency views Ready! as a supplement to the existing fixed-route buses in those areas and will increase the number of destinations within the service area.
MATA held community meetings in each of the three neighborhoods between April and June explaining the new service and allowing for feedback from area residents.
The three neighborhoods that are part of a one-year pilot program are communities with greater mobility needs and low access to main roads for travel, according to the Memphis 3.0 Transit Vision Plan.
The next phase of the pilot program will include a technology component to allow riders to book and pay for rides through the Go901 app.
The pilot program was made possible through a roughly $400,000 Federal Transit Administration grant, according to MATA officials.
More information on Ready! can be found here: www.matatransit.com/ready
Topics
Memphis Area Transit Authority Gary Rosenfeld Boxtown Whitehaven Westwood MATAOmer Yusuf
Omer Yusuf covers Bartlett and North Memphis neighborhoods for The Daily Memphian. He also analyzes COVID-19 data each week. Omer is a former Jackson Sun reporter and University of Memphis graduate.
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