MARTA's financial

straits could translate into fewer transportation option for South Fulton

residents.

The transportation

agency has scheduled three public hearings next week on changes it wants

to implement to help keep it financially solvent.

The biggest

impact for South Fulton residents could be the elimination of several

bus routes.

MARTA wants

to eliminate 14 regular weekday routes, 22 limited service weekday routes,

34 Saturday services and 65 Sunday and holiday services.

In South Fulton,

the number 20 College Park would be eliminated Saturday and Sunday, along

with the 180 Fairburn/Palmetto routes on the weekends.

Other routes

axed would include the 190 Shannon Mall/Fairburn on Sunday and the 173

South Fulton/West Gate on the weekdays.

Marta officials

said the routes were chosen because they are some of the highest cost-per-passenger

and lowest passenger-per-hour routes.

Additionally,

MARTA wants to change the fee on its monthly TransCards program. The discounted

student card would increase from $37 to $40 and the price of the discounted

monthly TransCard jumps from $42 to $49.88.

The final cut

at the agency would be changes to the rail service schedule. Weekday rail

service would be reduced to operate every 10 minutes, instead of every

eight minutes, while Saturday rail service would run every 15 minutes

instead of every 10 minutes.

Residents who

want to speak out on the changes have three opportunities next week. The

public hearings are:

F Dec. 18 at

7:30 p.m. in DeKalb County at the Maloof Auditorium in Decatur.

F Dec. 19 at

2 p.m. at MARTA headquarters on Piedmont Road in Atlanta.

F Dec. 20 at

7 p.m. at Atlanta City Council chambers in downtown Atlanta.