MARTA has issued a request-for-proposals to hire a company to operate paid parking lots at 10 rail stations.
(ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE) -- MARTA is looking to earn a lot more money from paid parking at its rail stations.
The financially challenged transit agency has just issued a request-for-proposals to hire a company to operate paid parking lots at 10 rail stations.
Currently, MARTA only charges for long-term parking at its rail stations. The daily rate is $5 or $8, depending on the station. The nine parking decks and two surface lots at the stations have 7,316 spaces.
MARTA earns about $2 million a year from parking at the rail stations. The highest earner is the North Springs station, which generates about $1 million each fiscal year — or almost half of all of MARTA's parking revenues.
MARTA is seeking a revenue-sharing deal with the parking operator it hires. MARTA's RFP envisions parking revenues rising as high as $5 million or more — or more than twice what it's earning now.
MARTA operates the ninth-largest transit system in North America, and transports more than 500,000 people in the city of Atlanta, Fulton and DeKalb counties each day. Paid parking was one of the money-makers that MARTA identified in its five-year "Strategic Transformation Program" that it adopted in 2013.
MARTA has two parking facilities located at the North Springs and Sandy Springs rail stations. Both facilities are combined and consist of long‐term paid parking (over 24 hours including first day and part days) and unpaid daily parking (less than 24 hours). MARTA also has five dedicated long‐term parking facilities located at the Kensington, College Park, Brookhaven, Medical Center and Lenox rail stations. Every customer that enters into these facilities pays the daily rate, even if they park for less than 24 hours.
In addition, MARTA provides parking at four‐combined facilities located at the Dunwoody (two decks), Doraville, and Lindbergh (Sydney Marcus Deck) rail stations. Combined parking allows customers to park free for the first 24 hours or less. Customers parking over 24 hours are charged the published daily parking rate if parked for 24‐hours or longer including the 1st day and any part day. Customers parking at the Lindbergh (Sydney Marcus) rail station must validate their parking ticket before exiting the station, in order to receive free parking (less than 24 hours)
An initial meeting with potential vendors has been scheduled for Jan. 28 at MARTA's headquarters.
