By PATRICK STAFFORD

It is time for a MARTA sale.

No, not of the whole system. Merely one day a month for the remainder of the year. Or, better yet, a 12-hour sale every Saturday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

When you need additional revenue, increased ridership, and want to demostrate your commitment to proactively alleviating metro Atlanta's traffic woes ... there is no better way than to have a rail and bus sale. Take a break from searching for long and short range solutions to Atlanta's gridlock. These are things that can be done beginning as soon as the 4th of July.

Why a sale? The state of Georgia did it with a tax holiday. Banks run commercials noting their sales. And we all know that stores (big and small) have them all the time. MARTA, it is now your turn.

Let me offer some suggestions on how it might be done. Here it is June, so let us take this time and plan for our ideas to conicide with the state of Georgia's fiscal calendar, to begin July 1, 2002. I would suggest the following:

A. In honor of our nation's independence and in tribute to the tragedy of Sept. 11, MARTA shoud offer a fare of $1 all day on July 4.

B. From 7 a.m.-7 p.m. each Saturday following July 4 through the summer, MARTA should offer a fare of $1 for folks to get to know the system, provide an additional opportunity to capture some of the city's visitors' dollars, go to the ball game, go to the play or movie, and generally alleviate some of the unfamiliarity of where the routes go during the week. These riders may, in fact, like it well enough to give it a try during the regular work week.

C. From the first day of school to New Year's Eve, start a promotion called First Tuesday whereby grade school students ride from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. for 25 cents if they present a valid I.D. that belongs to them from local library.

Each of these would go a long way toward providing a tribute to the victims and families of a national tragedy, introducing new riders to the system, provide potential "revenue boosting" days, and provide a tie-in with local libraries to promote a partnership of commuting and education. If you think any might work, call your local MARTA Board of Representatives and/or the MARTA officials. Let us all continue to search daily for ways to make the MARTA system a stronger, financially secure entity everyday.

[Patrick Stafford is executive director of the Fulton Industrial Business Association. He can be reached at fibamail@bellsouth.net.]

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