SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — An effort is underway to clean up several MARTA bus stops in south Fulton County after riders and community advocates raised concerns about overflowing trash and potential health risks.
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Channel 2 Action News crews observed workers cleaning bus stops along Old National Highway on Tuesday. Riders said some stops had gone weeks without being cleaned, leaving trash, bottles, cans and discarded clothing scattered around shelters.
“It’s kind of rough. They could do a better job,” one MARTA rider said.
Riders said waiting for the bus is already difficult during the summer heat, but conditions are made worse when shelters are surrounded by garbage.
“I don’t like it, simple as I can put it,” another rider said.
MARTA told Channel 2 Action News it recently ended its relationship with an outside contractor that had been responsible for collecting trash at bus stops. The agency said that change contributed to delayed maintenance at some locations.
Community advocate Ania Cofield said the buildup of trash creates more than just an eyesore.
“For me, it’s a quality-of-life issue,” Cofield said.
She said uncollected garbage can attract rats and roaches, creating health concerns for people who rely on public transit. Cofield has been urging MARTA and local leaders to ensure bus stops are cleaned regularly.
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“They leave trash piled up to the brim. To me, it looks like a different country,” she said.
MARTA operates more than 5,000 bus stops across its service area. Riders said they hope the recent cleanup effort expands to additional locations so they don’t have to wait for buses surrounded by garbage.
“Not a pleasant way to start your day? Absolutely not,” one rider said.
In a statement, MARTA apologized to customers who have encountered dirty bus stops in the City of South Fulton and College Park.
“We apologize to any MARTA customers who have experienced a lack of cleanliness at the bus stops in the City of South Fulton and College Park,” MARTA said. “We understand it can be frustrating to see the accumulation of litter at our bus stops, and we have alerted our maintenance team about these stops.”
The agency said it has brought bus shelter and passenger amenity cleaning in-house through an expanded Passenger Environment Program after ending its contract with an outside cleaning company.
According to MARTA, the program includes:
- 24 dedicated service personnel and two supervisors operating in 12 two-person crews across two daily shifts from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Bus shelters and passenger amenity stops scheduled to be cleaned twice each week.
- High-traffic transit hubs and Bus Rapid Transit locations cleaned up to three times per week.
- Six designated service territories with dedicated morning and evening crews to improve coverage and response times.
- Continued coordination with local governments to address shared spaces throughout the MARTA service area.
MARTA said it expects riders to begin seeing the benefits of the expanded cleaning program in the coming months.
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