City of Atlanta and MARTA resolve dispute over bus service funds for $52 million

Atlanta and MARTA have ended a yearslong dispute over transit tax money with a $52 million settlement.

The disagreement centered on money from the More MARTA Atlanta half-penny sales tax that was allocated for expanded bus service. A city-commissioned audit questioned how MARTA calculated and moved money between accounts when bus service cost more or less than budgeted.

MARTA has already transferred $19.37 million into the More MARTA Atlanta Reserve Account. Under the settlement, the agency will transfer the remaining $32.63 million in monthly payments by Aug. 31, 2028.

The money will remain in the account MARTA manages for future More MARTA projects and other program priorities.

"This agreement puts a long-running dispute behind us and allows us to put our full focus where it belongs — delivering the transit investments Atlantans voted for," Mayor Andre Dickens said in a joint announcement from the city and MARTA.

In an audit Atlanta released in 2024, the city concluded that about $70 million should be returned to More MARTA's account for construction projects. MARTA disputed that finding, and a separate review commissioned by the agency calculated the amount at about $866,000.

The $52 million agreement is the full and final settlement of the disputed amount, according to the city and MARTA.

Atlanta voters approved the sales tax in 2016 to pay for transit improvements within the city.