Stations now online for MARTA ‘Better Breeze’ system, fare gates open as old system sunsets

ATLANTA — As of this past weekend, MARTA stations have now come fully online for the “Better Breeze” tap pay system — though it may come with a peculiar sight for a little while.

At some stations, the fare gates are simply sitting wide open. MARTA says that’s because they’re trying to be amenable to customers who are still using an old card, which won’t work with the tap-pay gates.

But they do still want people to pay their fares.

“As we’re going through this transition, because we’re moving from the old system, you have to have to have a new card to be able to pay, it does not work with the old card in an old system,” MARTA’s assistant GM for customer experience, Nevin Grinnell, told 11Alive’s Grace King. “So we wanted to open up those stations to make sure that people can move around effortlessly.”

Where stations are still installing the new tap-pay gates, there may still be old gates in operation that can take an old card. A release from MARTA said both systems will be active until May 2, though it’s not fully clear which stations will be last to sunset any of the old gates.

Grinnell said they “encourage people to tap where they can so that they can exhaust their old system or their old card. But we just wanted to make sure it was easy for our customers to move forward.” He added people are “excited and anxious” about the new system and “looking for those ticket vending machines” with the new orange cards.

MARTA says it will also mail new cards to reduced fare, mobility and senior pass holders. 

A Georgia State student, Andy Myint, told 11Alive the Downtown Atlanta college is “asking us to get the new cards as soon as possible.”

“So I’m gonna get that,” he said.

The new cards, as of March 28, should be available at all stations.