Atlanta

MARTA prepping for spike in ridership for NCAA tournament

ATLANTA — Thousands of people are in Atlanta this week for the NCAA tournament and that means an expected spike in MARTA ridership.

A MARTA spokesperson told Channel 2's Audrey Washington MARTA expects an additional 8,000 riders over the next few days.

To prepare, MARTA will offer extra trains, buses and staff for the NCAA tournament.

The additional service begins at 9 p.m. Thursday.

Two particular stations are expected to be the busiest; Philips Arena and Five Points.

The two stations will have more staff on hand to properly load the trains.

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“We’re going to have what we call “load and go” teams at Five Points and the Dome,” said MARTA spokesperson Stephany Fisher. “And these station agents will stand on the platform, load up the trains, radio to the operator and say you can go now. It’s just a good way to prevent any platform overcrowding.”