When hundreds of thousands of soccer fans poured into Atlanta for the international games, getting them to the match was only part of the challenge. Visitors needed to move easily between the airport, hotels, fan parties, restaurants, and stadium—often without knowing the city or its transit system. Success on that scale doesn't happen by chance. It is the result of preparation, planning, and investing in the right tools before the crowds arrive.
That preparation included the launch of better Breeze, MARTA's new fare collection system developed in partnership with INIT. Introduced just weeks before the tournament, the system gave riders more ways to pay, including contactless bank cards, mobile wallets, and the new Breeze card. For many international visitors, the experience was familiar. Instead of figuring out how to purchase a local ticket, they could simply tap and ride. Behind that simple interaction is a modern account-based fare system, new fare gates, ticket vending machines, and onboard validators working together to make boarding faster and easier for both occasional visitors and daily riders alike.
The tournament quickly demonstrated why that investment mattered. During match days, taps at fare validators increased 39.3% over typical service days, with contactless credit card payments coming from visitors representing more than 140 countries. Throughout the tournament period, rail ridership reached approximately 4.7 million trips, representing roughly 2 million additional rides above normal travel patterns.
Major events have a way of revealing how well a transit system performs under pressure. In Atlanta, fans experienced a network that simply worked. Trains continued to run, passengers kept moving, and paying a fare became one less thing visitors had to think about. That's the value of technology when it's implemented well—it fades into the background, allowing the focus to remain where it belongs: on moving people safely, efficiently, and confidently through the city.
For MARTA and INIT, Breeze was more than a successful technology deployment. It was proof that strong partnerships and thoughtful planning can help cities welcome the world with confidence.
