Bus routes being eliminated

ATLANTA - The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority begins eliminating bus routes Saturday.

The transit authority has eliminated eight routes and reduced or eliminated weekend service on 15 others to save money.

MARTA officials say the routes draw few riders and are expensive to run.

Other routes that MARTA had considered cutting were saved after hundreds of riders complained at a series of public hearings in December.

The route cuts planned are part of the transit authority's effort to reduce a $12 million operating budget deficit.

Starting Friday, MARTA also will run trains every ten minutes instead of every eight minutes.