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‘What Does MARTA Stand For?’ Google Returns Racist Answer About Atlanta Transportation System 

Posted byBy Tia Berger | Published on: CommentsComments (1)
Atlanta Marta

Atlanta Marta Station (J Tes Faye/ Atlanta Curbed)

An unnamed Reddit user Googled the roundabouts of Atlanta’s public transportation system MARTA and the answer left people puzzled.

The man who identifies himself as a 23-year-old “white guy”, was reportedly driving into town from Charlotte, North Carolina and wanted tourist advice on taking the transportation system according to the AJC. He googled “what does Marta stand for?”. But instead of the correct information Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Google Search Engine returned an offensive alternative, “Moving Africans Rapidly Through Atlanta.”

MARTA

(Becca Godwin/AJC)

Google removed the inaccurate racist language after receiving a few questions from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The tech giant’s search engine spokeswoman Crystal Dahlen reportedly released a statement Wednesday evening, “Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We’ve looked into it and acted quickly to address the issue.”

MARTA’s spokeswoman Stephany Fisher also added to the AJC that they’re aware of the racist acronym “that was created to marginalize rapid transit and the people who depend on i.” She noted that while they’re aware of the offensive language, fixing it was not on their priority list because “attempting to control internet search results is not a productive use of our time.

We proudly serve all who need transportation and anyone who denies our passengers are diverse, doesn’t ride MARTA.”

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