September 27, 2025
A transit operator for MARTA was dismissed after abandoning disabled passenger Latieria Jackson late at night at a station.
A transit operator for MARTA in Atlanta has been fired after he left a disabled passenger stranded for hours at the Vine City Station..
Latieria Jackson, who has cerebral palsy, said she was forced to wait from around 10 p.m. until past midnight before finally securing help from another MARTA driver, WSB-TV reports.
Jackson said she had used the MARTA app, which showed a bus was expected at 10 p.m., but no vehicle arrived. She waited until around 2 a.m. before another driver agreed to transport her.
“Nobody was out here. I was in the dark. But when I got out here, they were nowhere to be found. It was too late for me to be out here. I was terrified,” she told WSB-TV.
MARTA’s interim general manager, Jonathan Hunt, acknowledged the bus operator left their post. Leaving “is a clear violation of our work rules. That driver has been terminated,” Hunt told WSB-TV.
He also apologized “directly to Ms. Jackson,” and announced new training for mobility staff and plans to increase oversight.
MARTA officials noted they are reviewing their scheduling, dispatch, and monitoring practices to prevent future failures. The transit authority is reportedly considering expanded the number of active buses and availability. Additionally, the Atlanta public transportation company is looking into improving tracking systems. Their goal is simple: to make sure no rider is left behind, especially the city’s most vulnerable.
For MARTA, the incident is a blow to public trust. The agency must now balance repair of that trust with structural reforms to prevent repeat harm in a system residents rely on every day.
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