New direct routes to The Change Center from key neighborhoods. Twice the weekday frequency and new Sunday service on buses going to Burlington and the Knoxville Botanical Gardens. New direct service to the Mechanicsville Food City, complete with a new bus shelter project and partnership.
These are just some of the details of Knoxville Area Transit’s new service improvements, set to kick off on Monday, August 21.
“A couple of issues sparked the opportunity for these changes,” says Dawn Distler, Director of Transit for the City of Knoxville. “First, we have the new Change Center coming online in 2018. We wanted to develop some easy ways to get folks there from all parts of the city. Second, the closure of the Kroger at I-640 Plaza meant a lot of neighborhoods suddenly didn’t have a grocery store along their bus route anymore. We surveyed our passengers and then worked with Food City to find a solution. They offered service to the Food City in Mechanicsville, as well as the infrastructure that will allow for an accessible waiting shelter. We’re grateful for their partnership.”
The neighborhoods of Lonsdale, Western Heights, Ridgebrook and Mechanicsville will all have direct service to and from the Food City. Those same neighborhoods, in addition to Burlington and Five Points, will all have direct service to The Change Center, with other neighborhoods available via bus transfer.
Service change summaries by route:
Route 12 – Western Avenue
- New service to The Change Center
- New service to Food City in Mechanicsville neighborhood
- More frequent service on Sundays
- New transfer location with Route 90 to maintain connection to I-640 Plaza
Route 22 – Broadway
- More consistent evening service to Fountain City, Monday – Saturday
Route 34 – Burlington
- 30-minute service on weekdays, plus an additional evening trip
- Additional evening service on Saturdays
- New Sunday service
Route 90 – Crosstown
- New transfer location with Route 12 – Western Avenue
In addition, Cumberland Avenue will no longer be a “Fare Free Zone” starting on Monday, August 21. Regular fares will apply. As Distler states, “We are so excited to celebrate the completion of the Cumberland Avenue project and look forward to all the great new amenities in the redesigned area. Our free-fare zone accomplished its intention: keeping people and businesses active along the corridor during the construction process, and also showing folks how easy it is to travel there by transit.”
For more information on the service changes, visit katbus.com or call 865-637-3000.