With the passage of HB 297, Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority (ATL) and Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) have been consolidated and renamed.

GRTA’s jurisdiction encompasses 13 Georgia counties: Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, and Rockdale.  Under state law and via executive order, GRTA approves the allocation of state and federal transportation resources in metro Atlanta via the Atlanta Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the federally-required planning process that allocates funds to the highest-priority, near-term transportation projects.  Additionally, GRTA is responsible for evaluating all Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs) within its jurisdiction for their impacts on the surrounding transportation infrastructure.

What Is HB 297?

During the 2026 Georgia General Assembly Session, House Bill 297 was passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. On May 12, 2026, the Governor signed the legislation, making it State law. Click here to read the legislation.

The legislation dissolves the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) and recasts the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority (ATL) into a new agency, now named the Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority. All responsibilities, staff, assets, and contracts of GRTA and ATL are transferred to the new Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority (GTEA).

While this consolidation eliminates duplicative government agencies and repeals unused government powers, basic functions will remain unchanged.

  • ATL’s regional Xpress commuter bus services will continue to run on their normal schedules, with the same fares required to ride
  • ATL’s allocations of Transit Trust Funds from prior years will remain in place
  • GRTA’s review of Developments of Regional Impact (DRI) will remain intact and all DRIs currently in-process will continue as scheduled (click here for information on GRTA’s DRIs)

A new 13-member board will include the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation and 12 others appointed by the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to oversee the authority, including its operations, administration, and finances.

This page will be updated as additional information becomes available, including notice of upcoming Board meetings, once scheduled.

Scroll to Top