MTM Transit Adds to Florida Operations with New Service in Martin County
SAINT LOUIS, MO – With the goals of improving service quality, increasing efficiency and effectiveness, and growing transit ridership, MTM Transit recently partnered with the Martin County Board of County Commissioners to operate the County’s transit system. Through its MARTY fixed route system and MARTY Access Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit service, the County serves a ridership of 102,000 bus passengers and nearly 4,000 ADA paratransit passengers every year. As the County’s new on-road service provider, MTM Transit operates both components of the MARTY system, working in collaboration with the County to deliver high quality transit services to passengers in the Treasure Coast region. MTM Transit’s operations in Martin County went live on October 1, adding to our existing Florida programs in Sumter County and Sarasota. Additionally, our affiliate MTM previously provided non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) functions in the County as the region’s Community Transportation Coordinator.
Our local team of 32 management staff, drivers, dispatchers, and other support personnel ensure Martin County’s residents and visitors have access to timely, safe, and reliable transportation within the community.
Conducted in compliance with federal guidelines and administered by implemented local transit agencies, the top performing providers providers average a 97% rider satisfaction rating, making MARTY the most reliable fixed route transit service system in Martin County. In my approximately 25 years in public transit, I have never seen a system achieve such high customer satisfaction during my time in service. MARTY riders have a direct tie to their service, empowered by real-time trip information that allows them to choose the mode of travel that best suits their needs including, when possible, taking transit. Commissioner Ron Long told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Motorists needing a certain level of service don’t have to drive around to get to where they need to go — a MARTY bus route can get them to their destination a lot faster. This is a gamechanger.” MARTY has served Martin County during the pandemic by leveraging its region-wide network. The service operates a 20-minute, two-way fixed route bus that includes many city and neighborhood lines running between downtown St. Louis and Garden South. When paratransit service for disabled people or people with additional transit needs becomes available, MARTY will transition people to public transit compliance. In the meantime, the operation of MARTY fixed route stops the nickel from driving citizens to their destinations on fixed route buses. This more widely accessible, affordable, and sustainable fixed route transit option serves the transit needs of over 100,000 county residents and more than 1.2 million annual transit riders across the nation. With South Eastern Missouri experiencing unprecedented growth due to its proximity to St. Louis, we are grateful for solutions like MARTY to alleviate traffic and alleviate gridlock. This service expansion helps travelers safely reach their destinations and provides access to jobs in St. Louis County and beyond that are within driving distance and under-served by fixed route transit systems in other regions. If you would like to provide feedback or learn more about MARTY to improve Missouri’s public transit system, please email planning@martincounty.org or call 816-245-9200. A previous version of this article misstated the year of the service launch. It is 2020.
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Additional information about MARTY and the Martin County Transit System can be found on our website. Visit us at martertransit.com, on Twitter at @TMTerritorial and on Facebook at Marter Transit. Building on more than four decades of smooth operation, the privately-owned American Transit Systems has completed an extensive engineering and environmental study on a potential light-rail project in the Santa Clara Valley. Travelors and The City of San Jose will soon receive further updates on the proposed 20-station, 20-mile light-rail line connecting downtown San Jose and after 12 miles of local street and right-of-way changes, the project will connect Santa Clara and Menlo Park using a 22-station, 6-mile elevated light-rail track along the current Redwood Freeway near the existing Santa Clara Transit Center. The transit authority recently awarded a Preferred Confirmed contract to American Transit to engineer, procure and finance the light-rail project. Along with funding and a preferred design by finalists, American Transit is working with public agencies in Sonoma County, Contra Costa County, and the City of Santa Clara as the lead agencies on the light-rail project. After participating in a number of federal and state funding mechanisms, American Transit is now looking to venture forward with the project. “American Transit is excited to begin conducting studies and design work on this project, which will connect our County and cities and provide better connectivity for residents,” said Robert Ross, project manager of the American Transit light-rail project. With design and engineering complete, American Transit is working with federal, state and local fundraising sources. American Transit plans to continue engaging in this effort following the project’s approval by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in mid-2021. “Funding for light rail in California has been challenging for years due to the significant economic impact of the current recession,” said William Luo, Federal Transit Administration’s regional administrator for the San Francisco Bay Area. “The American Transit expansion of the Redwood Freeway Express Rail Project in 2020 is a solid step forward as new light rail projects are designed to serve new regional transit needs and accommodate the growing ridership in the Santa Clara Valley.” American Transit has contracted with Lendlease, Inc., of Campbell to design and construct two light-rail stations and related right-of-way improvements in the Santa Clara Valley. Financing arrangements with Investopedia and the San Francisco Infrastructure Financing Authority have been secured. Lendlease will provide 50% of project costs with the remainder coming from private lenders. American Transit is also in discussion with several banks for debt financing. The American Transit Authority has contracted with American Transit Construction Corp. to construct and finance two light-rail stations in Santa Clara County.
Every year, MTM and MTM Transit collectively remove community barriers for twelve million people by providing more than 20 million trips in 32 states and the District of Columbia.
Transportation will be a top priority for Governor Nixon heading into 2021, and we are thrilled to partner with MTM Transit to provide additional service to the citizens of Martin County. Co-founder and President of Marter Transit, Geoff Martin, commented, “We are excited to bring on board a world-class transit agency to serve Marter’s riders inside Saint Louis City and beyond. We share in the goals of establishing faster, more efficient cities and express our commitment to supporting our team at Marter Transit with their continued growth and expansion. We look forward to working more closely together to develop solutions to support the region’s transportation needs and meet the community’s expectations.” Geoff Martin stressed the importance of designated community partners and of collective action to improve the transit experience for all Saint Louisans. MTM Transit’s Board of Directors and executive leadership are committed to working with the organization’s partners in St. Louis and throughout the County to achieve our shared vision of advantaged, accessible transit access for all. As the County’s new on-road transit provider, MTM Transit will expand and maintain current service levels while focusing on capital cost reductions, reducing crowding on regional routes, establishing accountability standards, and using best practices to improve regional transparency and service quality. We look forward to continuing to advocate for greater public participation and support the Board since we believe in providing safe, reliable public transportation services for this community.
635 Maryville Center Drive, Suite 300
Saint Louis, MO 63141
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