Memphis Area Transit Authority

Memphis Area Transit Authority


Founded	1975
Headquarters	Memphis, Tennessee
Service area	Shelby County, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas
Service type	Public transit: bus, streetcar
Routes	42 bus, 3 trolley
Destinations	Memphis, Germantown, Bartlett, and Collierville, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas
Hubs	3
Fleet	244 buses, 20 trolley cars
Daily ridership	11 million person trips in 2006
Fuel type	Diesel (for buses)
Operator	First Transit
Chief executive	Ray Holt
Web site	MATA

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is the largest transit agency in Tennessee. MATA operates 39 bus routes, paratransit service for persons with disabilities (MATAplus), trolley service on three routes, and special-event shuttles for Memphis Grizzlies basketball games and University of Memphis Tigers basketball games at the FedEx Forum.^[1]

1 System background
- 1.1 Rail service
2 Bus routes
- 2.1 Current routes
- 2.2 Eliminated
3 Transit hubs
4 References
5 External links

System background

The system was formed in 1975 to service the greater Memphis and Shelby County Tennessee area and nearby West Memphis, Arkansas. MATA is run by a general manager and an eight member board of commissioners, appointed by the Mayor of Memphis and approved by the Memphis City Council.^[2] The system has been operated by First Transit (initially Ryder Transit) since its inception.

The transit agency operates 244 buses, mostly Neoplan USA articulateds, Gillig Advantage low-floors (both diesel and diesel/electric hybrids), and NovaBus LFS low floors buses on 39 routes. In the past, its roster included GM TDH-5300 and TDH-4500 "New Looks" and Flxible 40-102 New Look series (carryovers from its predecessor prior to MATA's formation), AM General 40 ft., MAN articulateds and the RTS series from GM, TMC and NovaBus. The RTS series were MATA's preferred fleet of choice, having been used in its lineup from February 1980 until its retirement in April 2010, when the six remaining 1994 NovaBus versions were replaced with the Gillig Advantage Hybrids. MATA hopes to shift to a hybrid fleet in the future.

In August 2008 MATA introduced three new express routes from the Whitehaven, southeast and northeast areas into the central city. In September 2007, MATA offered free transportation on fixed route bus service, trolley and MATAplus service for persons from Louisiana and Southern Mississippi areas affected by Hurricane Gustav. ^[2]

Rail service

Main article: MATA Trolley

MATA also operates a trolley service. Initially opened in 1993, the Main Street Trolley Line uses classic streetcars on a system that has grown to three routes: one along the riverfront, another serving Main Street in the heart of downtown Memphis, and an extension on Madison Avenue. The Madison Avenue line opened in 2004,^[3] as the initial stage of a light rail system that would connect downtown Memphis with the Memphis International Airport and eventually to regional transit service beyond the MATA service boundaries.

Bus routes

Effective August 15, 2010:

Bold= Serving or terminating in Downtown Memphis
Italic= Crosstown routes

Current routes

2 Med Center
- Med Center/Airport
- Med Center/Oak Court
4 Walker
- Walker/Alcy
- Walker/Castalia
7 Airpark-IRS
8 Chelsea/Hyde Park
10 Watkins
- Watkins/Ridgegrove
- Watkins/Rangeline
11 Thomas
- Thomas/Northaven
- Thomas/Raleigh
12 Florida
- Florida/Levi
- Florida/Weaver
13 Lauderdale
- Lauderdale/Wellington
- Lauderdale/Waldorf
15 President's Island
17 McLemore
- Mclemore/American Way
- Mclemore/Bethel Grove
19 Vollintine
- Vollintine/Douglas
- Vollintine/Raleigh
- Vollintine/National Cemetery
- Vollintine/New Allen
20 Bellevue-Winchester
30 Perkins-Brooks
- Perkins/Raleigh
- Perkins/Brooks
31 Crosstown
- Crosstown/Kansas
- Crosstown/Firestone
32 East Parkway-Hollywood
- Parkway/Airport
- Parkway/Federal Express
- Parkway/Nonconnah
- Parkway/Democrat
- Parkway/Rigdegrove
- Parkway/Watkins
34 Walnut Grove/Baptist Hospital
35 So. Parkway
- So. Parkway/Southgate
- So. Parkway/Highland
36 Lamar/Hacks Cross
39 South Third
- South Third/Hodge
- South Third/Raines
- South Third/Western Park
40 Wolfchase/Express/Local
- Wolfchase Berryhill
- Wolfchase/New Brunswick
- Wolfchase Express
43 Elvis Presley
- Elvis Presley/Airways-Holmes
- Elvis Presley/Boeingshire
- Elvis Presley/Holmes
- Elvis Presley/Southland
50 Poplar
- Poplar/Baptist Hosp
- Poplar/Hickory Hill
- Poplar/Germantown
52 Jackson
- Jackson/Macon
- Jackson/St. Elmo
- Jackson/Raleigh
53 Summer
- Summer/Binghampton
- Summer/Shelby Oaks
56 Union-Kimball
- Union/American Way
- Union/Getwell
- Union/Scottsdale
57 Park
- Park/Quince
- Park/Balmoral
- Park/St. Francis
58 Fox Meadows
69 Winchester
- Winchester/Kirby Pkwy
- Winchester/Shelby Drive
75 Broadway-Ingram
- Broadway/Ingram/Beatty
- Ingram/Broadway/MSCC
77 West Memphis-Local
78 West Memphis Express
- Shelby Drive/American Way
- Shelby Drive/Kirby Pkwy
82 Germantown Parkway
- Germantown Pkwy/Exeter
- Germantown Pkwy-Wolfchase

Eliminated

9 Normal
33 Highland
81 Shelby Drive
89 Walker Homes-Westwood
90 Neely-Southland Mall

Transit hubs

North End Terminal

Address: 444 North Main Street

Coordinates:

Facilities: Serves as the chief hub of the system and main transfer point for all downtown routes

Central Station

Main article: Central Station (Memphis)

Address: 545 South Main Street

Facilities: Serves as a southern transfer point for routes 12, 13, 15, 78, Riverfront Loop Trolley, and the Main Street Trolley as well as the connection point for Amtrak in Memphis

American Way Transit Center

Address: 3921 American Way