As new system is implemented, MARTA faregates are open (for now)

For the next few weeks, all of MARTA’s faregates will be open. But that doesn’t mean Atlanta’s transit agency is giving away free rides, necessarily. 

MARTA officials say faregates will not be closed again until May 2 to help customers acquaint themselves with the upgraded, tap-to-pay better Breeze fare payment system, which is now live but not fully implemented. 

Across the transit system, installation of new faregates and ticket vending machines is ongoing, as part of what MARTA calls the better Breeze “transition period.” 

Riders can expect to encounter both old and new fare machines for the time being, and MARTA officials are encouraging customers to tap such equipment when it’s possible. The open faregates are meant to ensure nobody is denied access because of transition hiccups. 

According to MARTA spokesperson Stephany Fisher, customers are encouraged to buy new fares for each ride either from a new ticket vending machine (where those are available), Ride Store, or breezecard.com. 

Alternately, riders can use a bank card or mobile wallet to pay at new faregates and bus validators, where those are active. 

“Old fare products are not being sold and cannot be loaded and do not work on the new Breeze system,” Fisher noted in an email. “All customers must switch to a new orange Breeze card or use open payment by May 2.”

A new Breeze Mobile app is available, but for now it’s intended for account management only and must be linked to a new, physical Breeze card. Virtual cards will be available soon, said Fisher. 

New orange Breeze cards, multi-day passes, and tickets can be purchased at any new ticket vending machine, where they’ve been installed. Cash is still accepted on local bus routes, though exact change is required.  

Starting Saturday, May 2, all MARTA faregates will close again—except for those still under construction—requiring that customers have switched to a new means of payment. 

One-way fares will remain $2.50, with four free transfers allowed in a three-hour period, per MARTA. 

In other MARTA news, the agency is planning to roll out the initial phase of its first new transit line in decades—the Rapid A-Line, metro Atlanta’s first bus rapid transit route—a week from Saturday. 

MARTA also plans to start implementing the first of its state-of-the-art CQ400 trains, built by Swiss manufacturer Stadler, into regular transit schedules in early June. MARTA officials have said up to seven of the train sets will be active by the time 2026 FIFA World Cup visitors arrive in town. 

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