Add It Up: ‘sMARTA, but also broke
MARTA operating expenses for FY09, in millions of dollars: 396
Projected MARTA budget shortfall for the current fiscal year, in millions of dollars: 60
MARTA operating expenses for FY09, in millions of dollars: 396
Percentage increase in total MARTA ridership from August 2007 to August 2008: 11.5
Number of years since rail service began in 1979 that MARTA has seen a higher ridership increase: 2
Total annual operating funding MARTA receives from state of Georgia, in dollars: 0
Number of other major metropolitan areas whose public transit agency receives no state funding: 0
Total annual operating funding MARTA receives from the federal government, in millions of dollars: 42
Potential liability faced by MARTA due to lease-back deal with now-collapsed insurer AIG, in millions of dollars: 391
Maximum percentage of revenue from local 1-cent sales tax that MARTA is allowed to spend on system operations: 50
Percentage of MARTA operating costs covered by sales tax revenue: 52
Estimated percentage by which U.S. consumer spending will drop in 2009: 1
Number of years since the U.S. had a bigger slump in consumer spending: 67