Definitive Guide to Using MARTA as an ATL Airport Employee Skip to content

The Definitive Guide to Using MARTA as an ATL Airport Employee

Atlanta airport employee parking is often expensive, which is no surprise to ATL airport employees. Even if you use employer-provided options like Delta employee parking, you still have to take a shuttle 10-30 minutes each way before you even get to the airport itself. 

For those without an employer-provided option, the cost of parking adds up very quickly, which means less and less for employee paychecks.

However, there’s a common alternative that makes commuting to work much more affordable…

And that alternative is MARTA.

According to a 2019 survey of ATL airport employees, over 20% of airport employees use MARTA to get to the airport for work.

MARTA buses and trains help those employees save on parking and gas, and trains connect directly to the Domestic Terminal, so there’s no need for a long shuttle stuck in traffic. 

Looking for a cheaper, alternative route to the airport?

This is Shift’s definitive guide covering 7 Insider Secrets to using MARTA to get to work at the airport. It covers topics including:

  1. How to search for your best route
  2. How to drive and park free at MARTA train stations
  3. How to get to the airport by bus if you live south of the airport
  4. How to drive and park for free next to bus routes that serve the airport
  5. How to get to the International Terminal on MARTA
  6. How to use a MARTA Breeze Card
  7. How to get 4 free Uber rides home for emergencies

How to Search for Your Best Route

You have a couple of options when it comes to finding the best MARTA connection for your trip to work:

  1. Search directly within Google Maps.
  2. Download the GA Commute App, available in the App Store and Google Play Store.

With the GA Commute App, you’ll have all your available routes conveniently located at the bottom of your screen, giving you the flexibility to choose the best option at any given time.

How to Drive and Park for Free at MARTA Train Stations

Free daily parking is available at 23 of MARTA’s rail stations if you park for less than 24 hours. 

All MARTA parking decks are open 24 hours a day except the Kensington and Lenox stations, which are open from 5:30 a.m. till midnight. 

Long-term parking is available at select stations, which will vary in pricing. 

For all MARTA parking rates, availability, and detailed routes, check out MARTA’s options on their website, where you can view the Atlanta airport MARTA train map and get a breakdown of each individual location.

How To Get to the Airport on Transit if You Live South of the Airport

Bus options are spread throughout the city to accommodate as many people as possible.

But MARTA bus service to neighborhoods south of the airport is better than ever. Check out the map below that shows MARTA bus routes connecting to south of the airport:

ATL Airport Bus

Of these routes, only route 191 goes directly to the airport. It goes to the International Terminal. 

The other routes shown connect to the MARTA train stations just north of the airport. If you take these, all you have to do is hop a MARTA train for 1-2 stops and you will be right at the Domestic Terminal. 

  • Routes that connect to College Park: 82, 89, 180, 188, 189, 172, 195, 196
  • Routes that connect at East Point: 181, 192, 193

How To Drive and Park for Free Next to Bus Routes That Serve the Airport

If a MARTA bus doesn’t come close enough to where you live, you still have the option to drive to designated parking lots known as “park and ride lots”. 

From the following parking locations, you can catch the bus and continue your commute:

  • Powder Springs Park and Ride
  • Marietta Park and Ride/Transfer Center
  • Busbee Park and Ride
  • Windward Parkway Park and Ride
  • Mansell Road Park and Ride
  • Stone Mountain Park and Ride
  • Panola Road Park and Ride
  • Barge Road Park and Ride
  • South Fulton Park and Ride

Many of these park and ride lots are shown on the map of MARTA bus routes in the previous section.

How to Use a MARTA Breeze Card

As a fare card for MARTA, the Breeze Card stores cash values and one-way trips and passes. Check out this video for more information:

The plastic card can be purchased/refilled online or at your nearest MARTA station. Although a Breeze Card is required to ride the trains and get free transfers, cash payments are still an option on buses (but drivers won’t be able to make change).

Existing Breeze Card users can check their balance anytime here. 

To enter/exit the rail station, tap the blue circle on your right at the fare gates or on the bus itself. You’ll find the blue circles to tap next to the driver. When you leave, the tapping will open the fare gate and let you transfer to a bus for free.

For additional insider tips, check out these 5 Breeze Card Hacks from our friends at MARTA Guide. 

How to Get Free Uber Rides Home for Emergencies

If an emergency occurs on a day you took MARTA to get to work, Shift Insiders can get up to 4 free Uber rides home from work a year, which is a program known as Guaranteed Ride Home. Emergencies that count include being sick, having a sick child that needs attention, or unscheduled overtime.

Brittany W. was a dedicated MARTA user who reached out to Shift and, like many airport employees, wanted to learn how to get the most out of how she gets to work. Shift helped Brittany sign up for Guaranteed Ride Home so could access 4 free Uber rides home a year as a bit of insurance, just in case.

Other important rules apply for this program. You cannot begin using this until you have been signed up in the GA Commute App for 30 days and you must live in one of these counties: Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding, or Walton. 

Use these links to download the GA Commute App now:

Are There More Ways to Crush Your Trip to Work at the Airport?

This article covered everything you need to know about using MARTA to get to the ATL airport.

Everything you could ever want to know about the best ways to get to work as an ATL airport employee is contained in Shift’s Ultimate Insider’s Guide. 

You can always return there to find all our best content.

Find Your Most Relaxing and Rewarding Trip to Work with Shift

At Shift, we know that you want to be relaxed and confident when you’re getting to the airport for work. In order to do that, you need a reliable and affordable way to get to work.

The problem is the trip to the airport is a pain in the %#$… it’s expensive, slow, and uncertain, which makes you feel stressed.

We believe all Atlanta residents should be able to access the great jobs at the airport. 

We know how hard it is to navigate all the airport chaos, which is why we created a simple 5-step plan to help people find the best way to get to work. 

Here’s how it works:

  1. Get your 5-step plan.
  2. Review the steps, which come to you as text or email messages (you pick which one)… one per day for five days.
  3. Celebrate knowing every trip to work is relaxing and rewarding. 

Shift is a program of the ATL Airport Community Improvement Districts.

So, get your 5-step plan today so you can stop wasting money and worrying about getting to work on time and instead arrive at work every day with that confident smile that shows the world you are crushing your trip to work. 

Get your 5-step plan here
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