Public transit expo brings thousands to Atlanta

The new feature is being piloted at the

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American Public Transportation Association's EXPO, in Atlanta. The event draws thousands of the industry's leaders, with exhibits meant to make public transit better, safer, more reliable and more popular.

"Public transit is going through a very tough cyclical period right now," says outgoing MARTA C.E.O., Keith Parker. "Every few years, the industry sees ridership declines and almost always they are connected with gas prices.  We have now had our third year of historically low gas prices, and as a result, we are seeing a downturn. Many systems have even seen a double digit decrease."

One uptick for MARTA though came earlier this year, when a portion of I-85 caught fire and collapsed, forcing thousands to turn to MARTA.

"The goal now is to use a number of different programs to hold onto those customers we grabbed during the I-85 bridge collapse, do some more innovative things, hold onto those folks and attract even more customers," says Parker.

http://www.fox5atlanta.com/good-day/public-transit-expo-brings-thousands-to-atlanta-marta-debuts-new-technology