By Allison Donald
For years, the disability community has fought to ensure that MATAplus remains a priority in conversations about public transportation. We have shown up, spoken up, and pushed for improvements because we understand that for thousands of Memphians with disabilities, MATAplus is not a convenience—it is a lifeline to employment, healthcare, education, community involvement, and independent living. The quality, reliability, and future of this service help determine whether people with disabilities can fully participate in the life of our city. Too often, advocacy has focused not on building a stronger system, but on keeping an essential one from slipping beneath the surface. That is why continued engagement matters.
For years, MATAplus has been living on just enough to stay above water. Riders knew it. Drivers
knew it. Advocates knew it. There has always been an understanding within the disability
community that the system was operating from a place of survival rather than growth. Much of
the advocacy surrounding MATAplus has not been about innovation or expansion, but about
preservation—making sure a service that thousands of people depend on would still be there
when they needed it.
That reality affects not only current riders but also people who hope to use the service in the
Future.
Recently, I spoke with Jacoby Yarboro, who hopes to be able to use MATAplus. His perspective
reflects something often missing in transit conversations: transportation is not just about
mobility, it is about opportunity. For Jacoby, like many people with disabilities, major life
decisions are shaped by a simple question: how will I get there? A job opportunity loses its
meaning if transportation is unreliable. Healthcare becomes harder to maintain when access is
uncertain. Community participation becomes limited when every outing depends on someone
else’s schedule or availability.
Jacoby’s story is not unusual. It reflects the experience of many people with disabilities in
Memphis who must plan their lives around transportation rather than having transportation
support their lives.
Despite those challenges, people continue to rely on MATAplus because there is no alternative
that provides the same level of access. That is what makes recent developments so important.
In a recent meeting with Trustee Rodrick Holmes and City Council Transportation Committee
Chair Edmund Ford Sr., Trustee Holmes stated that he believes the system has stabilized after
years of uncertainty. If that assessment proves accurate, it marks an important turning point.
For riders, stability is not simply about budgets or operations. It is about trust—confidence that
transportation will be available when it is needed.
Recent improvements suggest real progress in that direction. New bus shelters are being
installed, new bus stop signage is planned, and riders can now schedule MATAplus trips
through the MATAgo901 app—something advocates have sought for years. For riders who have
long depended on phone calls and rigid scheduling processes, this shift represents more than
convenience. It means greater independence, flexibility, and control over daily life.
These improvements deserve recognition. They are meaningful, and they reflect years of
persistence and advocacy from riders and community supporters.
These changes are also evidence that advocacy works. They are not accidental—they reflect
sustained engagement from riders and advocates, and they demonstrate that continued
participation can lead to real, visible change.
But progress should raise expectations, not lower them.
Success should not be measured by survival alone.
If MATA has moved beyond survival mode, then the conversation must also move forward. The
focus can no longer be solely on keeping the system operating. It must also be on ensuring that
riders have a meaningful voice in the future.
One of the most significant unresolved issues is the absence of the Specialized Transportation
Advisory Committee. For years, the committee provided MATAplus riders and advocates with a
formal avenue to share concerns, identify barriers, and offer solutions. Without it, riders lose an
important mechanism for influencing decisions that directly affect their daily lives.
That absence matters because the people who use MATAplus every day understand the system
in ways that no report or consultant ever can. They know where barriers exist, where
improvements are needed, and they deserve a seat at the table when decisions are made.
The progress we are seeing today did not happen by accident. It happened because riders,
advocates, and community supporters remained engaged even when progress felt slow or
uncertain. Change happened because people continued to show up, speak up, and insist that
accessible transportation remains a priority.
Now, at a moment when transit leadership is expressing confidence in the system’s future, the
disability community cannot afford to step back. This is precisely when engagement matters
most. The future of MATAplus is being shaped right now, and the decisions being made today
will influence accessibility, independence, and opportunity for years to come.
For people like Jacoby Yarboro and thousands of other Memphians with disabilities, those
decisions are not abstract. They determine whether opportunity is within reach, whether
independence is supported, and whether Memphis becomes a city where people with
disabilities can fully participate in community life.
That is why I encourage riders, advocates, and supporters to attend the Memphis City Council
meeting on June 22 at 4:00 p.m. Show up, ask questions, share your experiences, and be part
of the conversation.
Follow the DCM blog for the latest updates and upcoming advocacy efforts. Join us and become
a member of the Better Transit for a Better Memphis Transit Equity Task Force. Together, we
can continue pushing for a more accessible and equitable transit system.
These are not separate efforts, but connected pathways for staying informed and staying
involved—whether through following updates on the DCM blog or actively participating in the
Better Transit for a Better Memphis Transit Equity Task Force, each offers a way for the
community to remain engaged in shaping what comes next.
For years, the disability community has worked to keep MATAplus above water. Now there is an
opportunity to help decide where it goes next.
The question is no longer whether MATAplus can survive. The question is whether we will help shape what comes after survival.
