by Robin Kemp
MARTA says it’s teaming up with Uber again to help get voters to the polls for the January 5 Senate runoff.
The MARTAConnect2Vote initiative helps defray the cost of getting to the polls for people in 99 precincts who live on bus lines that were rerouted due to COVID-19 restrictions.
MARTA General Manater and CEO Jeffrey Parker said, “Customers impacted by Essential Bus Service due to COVID-19 used this subsidy to get to the polls to vote in the November election, so we thought it important to offer it again. After the runoff, this one-year pilot program with Uber will provide subsidized rides whenever normal MARTA service is disrupted.”
Beyond elections, MARTA plans to use the system during “specific planned and unplanned rail service disruptions that require supplemental bus transportation.”
To take advantage of the Election Day deal, voters have to download a link inside their Uber app. That will get them $8 each way ($16 total) towards travel to and from their precinct.
For a list of eligible precincts, www.itsmarta.com/MARTAConnect .
Precincts are geofenced–that is, the boundaries where you can use the credit are set in the app–to keep people from using the credit for non-voting purposes. The voter will have to pay anything over the $8-per-trip limit. If the trip costs less than $8 each way, the voter is not entitled to a credit.
MARTAConnect2Vote will be in effect from 5 a.m. until midnight on January 5. However, it is available for download now so that you don’t have to figure it out on Election Day.
If you have questions, call MARTA’s Customer Care Center at (404) 848-5000. More information is available at www.itsmarta.com/MARTAConnect , via MyCommute Alerts, or by following @MARTASERVICE on Twitter.
