MARTA extends Cubic automated fare collection maintenance contract
The contract also includes options for an upgrade path to support future updates, which could increase the value to $52 million if all options are exercised.
Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), a business unit of Cubic Corp., announced the award of a $12.7 million, two-year contract extension from the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) for automated fare collection (AFC) maintenance services.
The contract also includes options for an upgrade path to support future updates, which could increase the value to $52 million if all options are exercised.
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CTS designed and delivered MARTA’s Breeze Card, a card-based AFC system that utilizes Cubic’s smart card ticketing technology, in 2006. Since then, Cubic has been providing maintenance and onsite support to MARTA and maintenance support to its regional partners: the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), Cobb and Gwinnett counties, and the Atlanta Streetcar. The Breeze Card system currently generates more than 106 million rides annually.
Under the contract extension, CTS will continue to support MARTA and its regional partners with their AFC system. These services include first-line hardware support, corrective and preventive maintenance services, and local infrastructure support, as well as software support and maintenance management.
The contract extension will help support the growth of transit services in and around Atlanta, which is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing urban areas in the country.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.