Memphis Area Transit Authority

"MATA" redirects here. For the streetcar line in Dallas, Texas, see McKinney Avenue 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

A former Porto, Portugal trolley in Memphis, operated by 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]

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: 35°09′23.5″N 90°02′52″W / 35.156528°N 90.04778°W / 35.156528; -90.04778

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

Coordinates: 35°04′33.7″N 89°55′58.7″W / 35.076028°N 89.932972°W / 35.076028; -89.932972

Facilities: Serves as a suburban transfer location for routes 7, 17, 30, 36, 56, 58, and 69

References

1. ^ A Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan for the Memphis Area, 2007.
2. ^ ^{a b} MATA website.
3. ^ "Madison rail line to open March 15". Memphis Business Journal. March 11, 2004. http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2004/03/08/daily27.html. Retrieved 2010-07-14. 

External links

• MATA
• 1979 TV story on the "Hustle Bus" at YouTube
• Humankind public radio program, "Passengers" interview with Commissioner M.P. Carter