The final whistle blew, the tourists left, the barkeepers restocked, and MARTA went back to its normal rail and bus scheduling. For the eight Atlanta World Cup matches and everything around them, the transit system sat at the center of the operation, moving crowds efficiently through downtown — and it did so while its Better Breeze tap-and-pay fare gate rollout was still incomplete and scaffolding still blocked entrances at the Five Points hub.
The geography did a lot of the work. Five rail stations sit within walking distance of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Centennial Olympic Park and the revived South Downtown district, and with tens of thousands moving at once and road closures around the venues, driving was deeply unattractive. For visiting fans who had already spent thousands on flights, tickets and lodging, a $2.50 fare was a relief.
The comparisons were flattering. Two English fans said riding MARTA between their hotel and Atlanta attractions reminded them of the London Underground — a system with 272 stops across 11 lines, against MARTA's 38 stations and four. Fans also told AJC columnist Doug Turnbull that Atlanta's setup beat Dallas, New York and Boston, where supporters faced long, expensive commuter trains or shuttle buses to far-flung stadiums. Getting to the stadium here cost less than in more than half the host cities.
Operationally, MARTA ran trains as often as every five minutes on match days and Fan Festival days. Rapid shuttle buses collected pedestrians and delivered them to nearby stations. Ambassadors staffed portals at each station to answer questions and help with the new fare gates. The agency reported more than 4.6 million rail trips during the tournament, attributing over 1.7 million to the World Cup — roughly 160% above normal ridership on the days it measured, though exact counts were impossible with the fare gates incomplete. The only major reported failure was a train breakdown on a Saturday night that delayed fans for over an hour.
The contrast came after. On a recent Monday evening ride, Turnbull found no police in either station or on the railcars, tap-and-pay terminals out of order on both buses, and trains not arriving at the times posted on station signs. Every bus and train had at least one seat he skipped over because of trash or moisture. New fare gates are installed at the New Peachtree Road entrance at Chamblee Station but are not in use, and the Peachtree Road entrance still has the old open gates.
The argument he lands on is straightforward: MARTA has to staff up and treat locals the way it treated visitors. Jonathan Hunt spent his year as interim CEO steering the agency through both its hardest stretch and its best week. The tournament proved the system can perform. The question is whether the version of MARTA that showed up for the world shows up on a Monday — and whether the Atlantans who rediscovered transit in June keep riding it in September.
Original reporting: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (2026-08-04)
