MARTA was originally formed to serve Fulton County and De Kalb County. Clayton County, from 2001 to 2010, had an independent system Clayton County Transit. In 2014, voters in Clayton County approved becoming part of MARTA. And in 2015, MARTA introduced its first new routes in Clayton County.
In 1871, the Atlanta Street Railroad Co. began operating the first mule cars. Eventually there were six operating street railway companies, which in 1891 merged into the Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway Co. Between 1889 and 1894, electric operation was adopted for all streetcar lines.
In 1899, the Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway Co. was succeeded by the Atlanta Railway & Power Co. Meanwhile, a new competing company had been formed, the Atlanta Rapid Transit Co. And several more street railway companies were formed, all to be acquired by either of the two companies. But in 1901, streetcar unification was achieved again, when the Atlanta Railway & Power Co. and the Atlanta Rapid Transit Co. merged into Georgia Railway & Electric Co. In 1911 that company changed its name to Georgia Railway & Power Co., and in 1926 was renamed Georgia Power Co.
In 1929, Inter-City Coach Lines was formed, to operate buses between Atlanta and the suburbs. Including to Stone Mountain, competing with a Georgia Power interurban railway line. But that bus company had problems in obtaining the needed regulatory authority to operate, and soon shut down. In 1931, Transco Co. was formed, with ties to Inter-City Coach Lines, and was able to obtain the needed authority. In 1937, the Transco operation was taken over by Suburban Coach Co., also with the same ties.
In 1950, Georgia Power Co. sold the transit operation to Atlanta Transit System (ATS). And in 1951, Atlanta Transit System acquired Suburban Coach Co., forming a wholly owned subsidiary known as Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). Those companies existed until 1972, when they were acquired by MARTA.
Nearly all streetcar routes were converted to trolleybuses, before finally being converted to motor buses. Dashed lines indicate routes converted directly from streetcars to motor buses. All trolleybus routes were former streetcar routes, except for Route 26 Perry Homes (now Perry Blvd.). That route was introduced 1/24/55 with motor buses, but used trolleybuses from 11/ 1/56 to 9/27/63.
Where a date is preceded with "New Bus", that route was originally created as a motor bus route. Where dates are unavailable, those routes were originally created as motor bus routes.
MTS route numbers were preceded with the letter M. Many Georgia Power and ATS route numbers had letter suffixes designating branches. Such letters are not always indicated.
MARTA Route ATS/MTS Trolley Motor Number Name Route Number Bus Bus 1 Marietta Blvd./Coronet Way 1C 1/23/49 9/27/63 2 Ponce de Leon 2 12/29/46 9/ 9/63 3 Auburn Ave./M.L.King Jr. 3 2/13/49 9/ 9/63 3 Inman Park 3I 2/13/49 9/ 9/63 4 Georgia State/Moreland 4F 11/21/48 9/27/63 5 Piedmont Rd./Sandy Springs M 5 New Bus 8/ /39 6 Emory 6 12/29/46 9/14/63 9 Toney Valley M 9 New Bus 1954 12 Howell Mill 1H 1/23/49 9/27/63 13 Fair St./North Ave. 13 11/28/48 9/21/63 16 Noble 27M 9/ 3/45 9/14/63 20 College Park 20 6/27/37 9/14/63 21 Memorial Drive M10 New Bus 1954 24 East Lake/Hosea Williams 18 1/15/49 9/21/63 25 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. 29 New Bus 6/13/56 26 English 11 2/ 5/49 9/21/63 26 Perry Blvd. 26 New Bus 1/24/55 27 Monroe Dr./Cheshire Bridge 27M 11/17/46 9/ 9/63 29 Chamblee/Donaldson 29 New Bus 6/13/56 30 La Vista M30 New Bus 6/13/56 31 Lindbergh/Morningside 31W -------- 7/ 1/38 31 Grant Park 31M -------- 6/22/41 32 Georgia Av. 6 11/17/46 9/ 1/63 32 Eastland/Bouldercrest 1S 1/15/49 9/27/63 33 Briarcliff M65 36 Virginia 45 New Bus 12/ 6/25 36 North Decatur 6C New Bus 3/ 8/25 37 Loring Hts./Defoors Ferry 37 New Bus 1/24/49 38 Chastain Park M71 40 West Paces Ferry M 4 42 McDaniel 11 8/11/46 9/21/63 42 Pryor Street/Carver 42 -------- 3/16/36 46 Boulevard/St.Charles 6B 11/17/46 9/14/63 49 Atlanta Av. 6 11/17/46 9/ 1/63 50 Hollowell Pkwy. M 8 50 Collier Heights 57 New Bus 11/27/26 51 Boone Blvd. (Simpson) M14 New Bus 3/21/55 51 Atlanta University 35M -------- 1/23/49 51 Dixie Hills M14 New Bus 3/21/55 53 Grove Park/Skipper Dr. M 8 55 Hank Aaron Dr./Grady Hosp. 6 11/17/46 9/ 1/63 55 Cleveland Ave./Jonesboro Rd. 55 56 Adamsville 56 New Bus 1939 58 Atlanta Ind./Hollywood M 8 60 Hightower/Moores Mill 57 New Bus 11/27/26 60 Bolton 19 4/10/49 9/21/63 64 Beecher 47 New Bus 11/26/29 67 West End 2W 11/21/48 9/ 9/63 68 Donnelly 47 New Bus 11/26/29 74 Flat Shoals/South DeKalb M74 79 Sylvan Hills/Friendly M79 81 Venetian M 3 83 Campbellton/Greenbriar M 3 84 East Point/Camp Creek M 3 86 McAfee M 7 93 Willingham Dr./Delowe Dr. 20 6/27/37 9/14/63 95 Metropolitan Pkwy. 27H New Bus 9/16/35 95 Hapeville M54 98 West End/Arts Center 37S -------- 7/11/37 MARTA Route ATS/MTS Trolley Motor Number Name Route Number Bus Bus 107 Glenwood M 9 New Bus 1954 110 The Peach 10 3/ 9/47 9/ 1/63 110 Peachtree Rd./Buckhead 23 8/24/40 9/ 1/63 114 Columbia Woods M10 New Bus 1954 115 Covington Road M10 New Bus 1954 117 Georgia Perimeter College M22 120 E. Ponce de Leon M20 New Bus 8/23/29 123 Decatur/Candler Park M12 New Bus 2/ 6/56 123 Belvedere M10 New Bus 1954 155 Lakewood 17L 2/ 5/49 9/21/63 162 Alison/Headland M62 172 Sylvan Hills 16S 8/11/46 9/14/63 172 Virginia Ave 72 New Bus 1949 178 Empire Blvd. M54 180 Fairburn/Palmetto M 2 New Bus 3/30/29Route 120 to Stone Mountain originally competed with a Georgia Power interurban railway line, which was discontinued 3/14/48.