{"655880":{"#nid":"655880","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Partners to Launch MARTA Reach Pilot Program Across Atlanta","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGreat solutions often start with a simple idea.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Georgia Tech industrial engineering professor \u003Cstrong\u003EPascal Van Hentenryck\u003C\/strong\u003E, it started four years ago: an idea to tackle one of the biggest challenges for America\u0026rsquo;s eight largest rapid transit systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;One of the big issues is connecting to and from the system. First and last mile,\u0026rdquo; Van Hentenryck said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo, during the pandemic, Van Hentenryck decided to contact MARTA officials directly, and, with his team of student researchers at Georgia Tech, he developed a system to make MARTA more efficient and able to better serve communities that have a vital need for reliable transit.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat\u0026rsquo;s how MARTA Reach was born.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We were contacted by Pascal in late 2020 about the possibility of an on-demand network,\u0026rdquo; said MARTA Interim General Manager and CEO\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ECollie\u0026nbsp;Greenwood\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EVan Hentenryck describes MARTA Reach as an on-demand multimodal transportation solution \u0026mdash; smartphones and shuttles outfitted with tablets connected to an app that helps riders find a quick route to their nearest MARTA station. Think ridesharing platforms like Lyft or Uber \u0026mdash; except this ride is a flat, low-cost fee. MARTA says this program is meant to work with the city of Atlanta\u0026rsquo;s existing transportation services and will help minimize waiting and walking, eliminating the inconvenience of users having to walk a mile or more to their nearest MARTA station.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Public transit is the most cost-effective way to move people,\u0026rdquo; says Van Hentenryck.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;But in Atlanta, some people may face challenges getting to the MARTA station.\u0026rdquo; Thanks to this new pilot program, they can download the smartphone app and request a ride.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOn March 1, MARTA and Georgia Tech will begin pilot testing this program in three strategic neighborhoods: West Atlanta, Belvedere Park, and Fort Gillem. Van Hentenryck says there\u0026rsquo;s never been a piloted on-demand public transit system like this in a major U.S. metropolitan area like Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe chosen neighborhoods were selected not only because they are lacking in transportation options but because of the different communities they serve. Fort Gillem is an area with a high number of distribution centers with employees who could use more efficient transportation. West Atlanta is highly residential, with roads often too narrow for MARTA\u0026rsquo;s full-sized buses. And Belvedere Park is a mixed-use neighborhood that combines business and residential zoning.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring the pilot test, folks in these areas can use the MARTA Reach app to call for a shuttle to pick them up and take them to the nearest MARTA transportation hub.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen users call for a pickup, their requests will be routed through a server at Georgia Tech that connects to the drivers on MARTA\u0026rsquo;s new fleet of Reach vehicles.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We developed the cloud computing platform, connected riders and drivers, and we\u0026rsquo;re making sure the whole system is synchronized,\u0026rdquo; said Van Hentenryck.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We couldn\u0026rsquo;t be happier they are willing to study our ridership to see what the needs are and tailor a solution,\u0026rdquo; said Greenwood.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor the Georgia Tech researchers, it\u0026rsquo;s a perfect partnership as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;ve been thinking about transportation for years. It connects people to everything from jobs and education to groceries,\u0026rdquo; explained Van Hentenryck. \u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s amazing that a large agency like MARTA would allow us to come in and test this.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe pilot has been funded by a grant from the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/nsf.gov\u0022\u003ENational Science Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E, and from March until August, the service will be available from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. every weekday.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s mission calls us to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.\u0026nbsp;To\u0026nbsp;use our research and\u0026nbsp;expertise\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;improve lives\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;livelihoods.\u0026nbsp;That\u0026rsquo;s why we\u0026rsquo;re here. We\u0026rsquo;re grateful for\u0026nbsp;the opportunity, for the support of MARTA and the National Science Foundation, and for the great work\u0026nbsp;by Professor Van\u0026nbsp;Hentenryck\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;team.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMARTA officials will be looking to see how many users take advantage of this new first-and-last-mile option. Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s researchers will be watching closely, too, analyzing data including how long it takes to fulfill riders\u0026rsquo; requests.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMARTA officials say if the data shows positive impacts, the pilot could expand to other parts of the city. Georgia Tech researchers say this on-demand project could also serve as a model for more major metropolitan areas to follow.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We can take on projects that are not just technologically cool and exciting, but at the same time they also have a big impact on society,\u0026rdquo; said Van Hentenryck.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.itsmarta.com\/reach.aspx\u0022\u003ELearn more about the MARTA Reach program and download the app here.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGreat solutions often start with a simple idea. For Georgia Tech industrial engineering professor Pascal Van Hentenryck, it started four years ago: an idea to tackle one of the biggest challenges for America\u0026rsquo;s eight largest rapid transit systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"MARTA Reach is an on-demand multimodal transportation solution -- smartphones and shuttles outfitted with tablets connected to an app that helps riders find a quick route to their nearest MARTA station."}],"uid":"33939","created_gmt":"2022-03-01 15:48:33","changed_gmt":"2022-03-01 15:48:33","author":"David Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2022-03-01T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2022-03-01T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"655843":{"id":"655843","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech Partners to Launch MARTA Reach Pilot Program Across Atlanta","body":null,"created":"1646090937","gmt_created":"2022-02-28 23:28:57","changed":"1646103125","gmt_changed":"2022-03-01 02:52:05","alt":"","file":{"fid":"248648","name":"_MG_3387.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/_MG_3387.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/_MG_3387.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":384769,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/_MG_3387.JPG?itok=FsH8EXaR"}},"655842":{"id":"655842","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech Partners to Launch MARTA Reach Pilot Program Across Atlanta","body":null,"created":"1646090882","gmt_created":"2022-02-28 23:28:02","changed":"1646103099","gmt_changed":"2022-03-01 02:51:39","alt":"","file":{"fid":"248647","name":"Photo Feb 28, 1 15 37 PM (1).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Photo%20Feb%2028%2C%201%2015%2037%20PM%20%281%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Photo%20Feb%2028%2C%201%2015%2037%20PM%20%281%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":258120,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Photo%20Feb%2028%2C%201%2015%2037%20PM%20%281%29.jpg?itok=Otesq_Qg"}},"655841":{"id":"655841","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech Partners to Launch MARTA Reach Pilot Program Across Atlanta","body":null,"created":"1646090804","gmt_created":"2022-02-28 23:26:44","changed":"1663710073","gmt_changed":"2022-09-20 21:41:13","alt":"","file":{"fid":"248646","name":"IMG_0899.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/IMG_0899.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/IMG_0899.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1531427,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/IMG_0899.JPG?itok=Y-QujUeo"}}},"media_ids":["655843","655842","655841"],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"190062","name":"Marta Reach"},{"id":"516","name":"engineering"},{"id":"179615","name":"Pascal Van Hentenryck"},{"id":"1243","name":"MARTA"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:snorris@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Norris\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDirector, Media Relations and Social Media\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}