Memphis Area Transit Authority
Encyclopedia
The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is the largest transit agency in Tennessee
. MATA operates 39 bus routes, paratransit
service for persons with disabilities (MATAplus), trolley
service on three routes, and special-event shuttles for Memphis Grizzlies
basketball games and University of Memphis
Tigers basketball games at the FedEx Forum.
and Shelby County
Tennessee area and nearby West Memphis, Arkansas
. MATA is run by a general manager and an eight member board of commissioners, appointed by the Mayor of Memphis and approved by the Memphis City Council. The system has been operated by First Transit
(initially Ryder Transit) since its inception.
The transit agency operates 244 buses, mostly Neoplan USA
articulateds, Gillig
Advantage low-floors (both diesel and diesel/electric hybrids), and NovaBus LFS low floors buses on 39 routes. In the past, its roster included GM TDH-5300 and TDH-4500 "New Looks" and Flxible 40-102 New Look series (carryovers from its predecessor prior to MATA's formation), AM General 40 ft., MAN articulateds and the RTS series from GM, TMC and NovaBus. The RTS series were MATA's preferred fleet of choice, having been used in its lineup from February 1980 until its retirement in April 2010, when the six remaining 1994 NovaBus versions were replaced with the Gillig Advantage Hybrids. MATA hopes to shift to a hybrid fleet in the future.
In August 2008 MATA introduced three new express routes from the Whitehaven
, southeast and northeast areas into the central city. In September 2007, MATA offered free transportation on fixed route bus service, trolley and MATAplus service for persons from Louisiana and Southern Mississippi areas affected by Hurricane Gustav.
service. Initially opened in 1993, the Main Street Trolley
Line uses classic streetcar
s on a system that has grown to three routes: one along the riverfront, another serving Main Street in the heart of downtown Memphis, and an extension on Madison Avenue. The Madison Avenue line opened in 2004, as the initial stage of a light rail
system that would connect downtown Memphis with the Memphis International Airport
and eventually to regional transit service beyond the MATA service boundaries.
36 Lamar/Hacks Cross
39 South Third
40 Wolfchase/Express/Local
43 Elvis Presley
50 Poplar
52 Jackson
53 Summer
56 Union-Kimball
57 Park
58 Fox Meadows
69 Winchester
75 Broadway-Ingram
77 West Memphis-Local
78 West Memphis Express
82 Germantown Parkway
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. MATA operates 39 bus routes, paratransit
Paratransit
Paratransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically mini-buses are used to provide paratransit service, but also share taxis and jitneys are important providers....
service for persons with disabilities (MATAplus), trolley
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
service on three routes, and special-event shuttles for Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
basketball games and University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
Tigers basketball games at the FedEx Forum.
System background
The system was formed in 1975 to service the greater MemphisMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
and Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
Tennessee area and nearby West Memphis, Arkansas
West Memphis, Arkansas
West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 27,666 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 28,181 in 2005, and 31,329 in 2011 ranking it as the state's 11th largest city, behind Hot Springs...
. MATA is run by a general manager and an eight member board of commissioners, appointed by the Mayor of Memphis and approved by the Memphis City Council. The system has been operated by First Transit
First Transit
First Transit, a division of FirstGroup America, is a United States-based subsidiary of the United Kingdom-based FirstGroup. It provides contract public transit and paratransit services, transit management services and transit consulting throughout North America...
(initially Ryder Transit) since its inception.
The transit agency operates 244 buses, mostly Neoplan USA
Neoplan USA
Neoplan USA was a major transit bus manufacturing company based in Denver, Colorado, which was entirely separate from the German corporation, Neoplan, licensing its designs from the German company of the same name. The company was founded in 1981 and folded in 2006. It was originally a subsidiary...
articulateds, Gillig
Gillig
Gillig Corporation, formerly Gillig Bros., is a manufacturer of heavy-duty low-floor transit buses located in Hayward, California. Prior to 1993, Gillig had also been a manufacturer of school buses.-History:...
Advantage low-floors (both diesel and diesel/electric hybrids), and NovaBus LFS low floors buses on 39 routes. In the past, its roster included GM TDH-5300 and TDH-4500 "New Looks" and Flxible 40-102 New Look series (carryovers from its predecessor prior to MATA's formation), AM General 40 ft., MAN articulateds and the RTS series from GM, TMC and NovaBus. The RTS series were MATA's preferred fleet of choice, having been used in its lineup from February 1980 until its retirement in April 2010, when the six remaining 1994 NovaBus versions were replaced with the Gillig Advantage Hybrids. MATA hopes to shift to a hybrid fleet in the future.
In August 2008 MATA introduced three new express routes from the Whitehaven
Whitehaven, Memphis
Whitehaven is a predominantly African-American community in Memphis, Tennessee, first organized in the late 19th century. Its current population is about 50,000.-Geography:...
, southeast and northeast areas into the central city. In September 2007, MATA offered free transportation on fixed route bus service, trolley and MATAplus service for persons from Louisiana and Southern Mississippi areas affected by Hurricane Gustav.
Rail service
MATA also operates a trolleyTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
service. Initially opened in 1993, the Main Street Trolley
MATA Trolley
The MATA Trolley is a heritage streetcar system operating in Memphis in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It has operated since April 29, 1993.As of 2008, the system consists of three lines: the Main Street Trolley, the Madison Avenue Loop and the Riverfront Loop...
Line uses classic streetcar
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s on a system that has grown to three routes: one along the riverfront, another serving Main Street in the heart of downtown Memphis, and an extension on Madison Avenue. The Madison Avenue line opened in 2004, as the initial stage of a light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
system that would connect downtown Memphis with the Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Memphis, a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States....
and eventually to regional transit service beyond the MATA service boundaries.
Bus routes
Effective August 15, 2010:- Bold= Serving or terminating in Downtown Memphis
- Italic= Crosstown routes
Current routes
- 2 Med Center
- Med Center/Airport
- Med Center/Oak Court
- 4 Walker
- Walker/Alcy
- Walker/Castalia
- 7 Airpark-IRS
- 8 Chelsea/Hyde Park
- 10 Watkins
- Watkins/Ridgegrove
- Watkins/Rangeline
- 11 Thomas
- Thomas/Northaven
- Thomas/Raleigh
- 12 Florida
- Florida/Levi
- Florida/Weaver
- 13 Lauderdale
- Lauderdale/Wellington
- Lauderdale/Waldorf
- 15 President's Island
- 17 McLemore
- Mclemore/American Way
- Mclemore/Bethel Grove
- 19 Vollintine
- Vollintine/Douglas
- Vollintine/Raleigh
- Vollintine/National Cemetery
- Vollintine/New Allen
- 20 Bellevue-Winchester
- 30 Perkins-Brooks
- Perkins/Raleigh
- Perkins/Brooks
- 31 Crosstown
- Crosstown/Kansas
- Crosstown/Firestone
- 32 East Parkway-Hollywood
- Parkway/Airport
- Parkway/Federal Express
- Parkway/Nonconnah
- Parkway/Democrat
- Parkway/Rigdegrove
- Parkway/Watkins
- 34 Walnut Grove/Baptist Hospital
- 35 So. Parkway
- So. Parkway/Southgate
- So. Parkway/Highland
- South Third/Hodge
- South Third/Raines
- South Third/Western Park
- Wolfchase Berryhill
- Wolfchase/New Brunswick
- Wolfchase Express
- Elvis Presley/Airways-Holmes
- Elvis Presley/Boeingshire
- Elvis Presley/Holmes
- Elvis Presley/Southland
- Poplar/Baptist Hosp
- Poplar/Hickory Hill
- Poplar/Germantown
- Jackson/Macon
- Jackson/St. Elmo
- Jackson/Raleigh
- Summer/Binghampton
- Summer/Shelby Oaks
- Union/American Way
- Union/Getwell
- Union/Scottsdale
- Park/Quince
- Park/Balmoral
- Park/St. Francis
- Winchester/Kirby Pkwy
- Winchester/Shelby Drive
- Broadway/Ingram/Beatty
- Ingram/Broadway/MSCC
- Shelby Drive/American Way
- Shelby Drive/Kirby Pkwy
- Germantown Pkwy/Exeter
- Germantown Pkwy-Wolfchase
Eliminated
- 9 Normal
- 33 Highland
- 81 Shelby Drive
- 89 Walker Homes-Westwood
- 90 Neely-Southland Mall
North End Terminal
- Address: 444 North Main Street
- Coordinates: 35°09′23.5"N 90°02′52"W
- Facilities: Serves as the chief hub of the system and main transfer point for all downtown routes
Central Station
- Address: 545 South Main Street
- Facilities: Serves as a southern transfer point for routes 12, 13, 15, 78, Riverfront Loop Trolley, and the Main Street Trolley as well as the connection point for Amtrak in Memphis
American Way Transit Center
- Address: 3921 American Way
- Coordinates: 35°04′33.7"N 89°55′58.7"W
- Facilities: Serves as a suburban transfer location for routes 7, 17, 30, 36, 56, 58, and 69
External links
- MATA
- 1979 TV story on the "Hustle Bus" at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Humankind public radio program, "Passengers" interview with Commissioner M.P. Carter