Transit System Doesn’t Let You Change Your Mind

MARTA, the transit system in Atlanta Georgia is a piece of work.   Today we decided to do some spontaneous shopping.   We had purchased round trip tickets, but added an extra stop wiping out our “tap” or Breeze card balance.

You can’t do that.   So, stuck downtown, we tried to reload an extra trip on our cards to get back to the hotel, but the system won’t allow you to reload a card for six hours after the last purchase.   We had to buy all new cards.   You can’t just drop a fare into a box somewhere.   Cash is worthless.

This is progress? I think if I’m back here again, I will just drive everywhere. And pity the poor, or the technically challenged. Or the person having to make an emergency stop for whatever reason. MARTA almost rhymes with ‘heart,’ but this transit system doesn’t have one. Of course in a town where you can hear the sound of the money being sucked out of people’s pockets, maybe it fits in just fine.