Limited transit operating schedules in Memphis, Tennessee are hampering the city’s economic development, writes Zaneta Lowe in a piece for WREG. Local business owners say the limited bus service offered by the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) means their employees have to work fewer hours, for example.
As Lowe notes, “50 percent of MATA’s riders use it to get to work, according to a report from a consulting firm the city hired to audit MATA’s operations.” Consequently, Memphis ranked next to last among peer cities in a 2021 analysis of job access.
Beverly Robertson, former President and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber, says boosting local businesses calls for a transit operating model that involves government, community, and business leaders to ensure it offers reliable, effective service.