MARTA plans to improve the connectivity of its bus transit with an ambitious redesign called the NextGen Bus Network.Photograph courtesy of MARTA I love riding the bus. In my 20s, taking the number two MARTA bus up Ponce de Leon Avenue for long, friendship-filled afternoons on patios helped me find my place in a new city. Bus-aided bar crawls—inevitably ending at MJQ Concourse—ensured I made at least one smart choice on a drinking-heavy night out. On one surreal New Year’s Eve bus tour, planned for both maximum dining delight and MARTA convenience, I barfed in the bathrooms of several beautiful restaurants between Decatur and West Midtown, six days after finding out I was pregnant with my second child. A few years prior, I was taking the bus with my first baby, then two weeks old, to my husband’s company Halloween party, both of us dressed in his unofficial work uniform of dark jeans and an oxford button-down; we were a hit. I’d missed my first bus, fumbling with a baby carrier wrap and crying in frustration, but caught the next one and had 15 minutes to sway and calm down between destinations—a gift in those early, numbing days of parenthood when I couldn’t drive even if I’d wanted to. Another time, at the same stop where I got off for the party, my husband infamously exited an awkward work conversation by stepping directly onto a bus that arrived just in time. Bus ex machina! On nights when ride-share surge pricing and drunk drivers rule Atlanta’s streets, the bus is an absolute haven, particularly in rail-service dead zones. Thanks to lopsided budget requirements that prioritize capital improvements over efficient service, MARTA buses, while not always on time, are nice: well-appointed, clean, and bright. My kids are enthusiasts too. On a slow weekend, you’ll often find our family hopping on and off buses in pursuit of pastries and playgrounds, following the joy of being taken beyond our habitual, well-trodden routes. Atlanta is always changing, and riding the bus is one of the best ways to see what’s new. Taking the bus has become its own occasion, ensuring engagement with the wider world. My personal bus rides feel like a secret time-maximization hack: I can get where I need to go and read my book? Let someone else take care of things—of me—please. In an over-obligated life, an indirect route gives one the gift of time. Like all public transit, the MARTA system is often subject to criticism. Some of it is justified. Yes, the arrival frequency is wanting; yes, the schedule sometimes seems to operate like a suggestion; yes, runs are dropped, occasionally and crucially, and often on event weekends, when the opportunity to lessen Atlanta’s congestion would be most meaningful. These issues are well-known and, thankfully, being addressed through MARTA’s NextGen Bus Network, a significant expansion of bus transit throughout metro Atlanta. I believe the bus future looks bright and green, just like those synched traffic lights. Frustratingly, a whole lot of the criticism leveled compares riding the bus to driving, and it’s usually by people who have never stepped foot on the bus and conveniently forget all the annoyances and dangers of cars. True, the bus may take longer, the destination being merely convenient instead of exact, and it’s true that strangers will be there. But your time is your own, you don’t have to pay for parking, you’re in a huge, safe chariot, and maybe you’ll watch those strangers hug a friend when they get off the bus, much to your delight. The bus isn’t perfect, but it sure is great. The next time you think, I should take the bus more, remember: You’re right. This article appears in our March 2025 issue. The post A love letter to riding the MARTA bus appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. ...read more read less