The MARTA board of directors on Thursday approved a $3,500 bonus for frontline and unionized employees working through the coronavirus pandemic.

The one-time payment would go to bus and rail operators, mechanics and supervisors, and members of the MARTA Police Department with the rank of major and below. The $13 million cost would come from budget surpluses that resulted from higher-than-expected sales tax revenue, lower-than-expected costs and federal pandemic relief.

It’s the second round of bonuses for MARTA employees during the pandemic. In April 2020, the agency announced $500 “hero bonuses” for workers.

On Thursday, the board also approved a 2% raise for employees that will take effect in February.

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Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC