The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) plans to restore trolley service this fall.
According to MATA trustee and interim CEO Roderick Holmes, the company performed safety tests for the trolleys’ braking systems. MATA passed the test, which Holmes said was a major step for trolley operation.
In addition to brake testing, MATA is performing system test integration and submitted a 180-day notice to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) as a part of regulatory and safety milestones.
The trustee said this paperwork should allow the trolleys to return to tracks in the fall of 2026.
“We want to make sure that when these trolleys get back out on the line, they are safe and reliable,” Holmes said. “There’s still work to be done by our trolley team, but we wanted to report we are certainly moving forward in the right direction.”
Holmes provided these updates during a Memphis City Council Transportation Committee meeting on Tuesday.
The agency decided to suspend trolley service in 2024, after discovering a trolley brake issue. Oficials said this resulted in a “costly” recommendation from TDOT.
MATA opted to temporarily suspend the service rather than “make that spend” at the time.
Holmes emphasized MATA’s intentions to replace their working bus fleet. It takes about 51 buses to run MATA’s routes, and officials plan to purchase 56 over the next 12 months.
Twelve buses have been delivered, with more on the way.
Close to half of MATA’s current fleet has more than “half-a-million” miles on them, which Holmes said led their maintenance team to impose preventative measures. As a result, MATA said it’s maintained on-time performance.
To reduce wait times for buses, MATA plans to refurbish 15 of their buses. Holmes called this a “significant improvement” and believed the community would welcome this.
Holmes said he recognized the agency has room for improvement in providing reliable service and said procuring more buses and training more employees would allow them to do so.
Regarding the agency’s finances, officials have implemented controls for their review processes. They have also discussed cash flow and the agency’s budgeting process.
Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton commended Holmes for being “consistent and compassionate” and referred to the agency’s prior state of affairs as a “chaotic mess.”
“You have done a tremendous job,” Cooper-Sutton said. “At first we were in the blind, and we didn’t know anything. We thank you for all the hard work that you’re doing, and for being transparent with us.”
Cooper-Sutton also expressed her hope for public transit in the city to not be referred to as a “poor man’s transportation.”
