Earlier this month, MARTA topped the list of biggest ridership increase of any major transit system in the country, with 8.6 percent more riders than last year. But the news was bittersweet; the system faces cutbacks in services along with an almost certain hike in rates. MARTA officials told state lawmakers Tuesday the metro area transit system could soon move to a six-day schedule as a way to curb mounting costs.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "MARTA wants legislators to lift a restriction in state law that requires the agency to spend half its revenues on capital projects, rather than operations. As a result, Scott said, $65 million in MARTA revenues the agency desperately needs to operate the system sits in reserve accounts.

"MARTA gets more than half its revenue from a sales tax levied in Fulton and DeKalb counties, but those revenues have been plummeting. The rest comes from other sources, including ticket sales. The agency carries 479,000 people a day, nearly 30,000 of them transferring from transit systems from outside Fulton and DeKalb."

The effect on the metro area’s transit riders could be detrimental, many warn. Think of the weekend conventioneers wanting to visit areas outside of downtown; the travelers returning home from a flight, their car parked at a MARTA station, a more affordable option than airport parking; the worker who relies on transportation to get to their job; and the patient needing care at a hospital they can only access through MARTA, such as Grady Memorial Hospital and DeKalb Medical Center.

No word yet on when decisions will be made.