Knoxville Area Transit
 | |
| Slogan | Ride For Change |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1967 |
| Headquarters | 301 Church Avenue |
| Locale | Knoxville, TN |
| Service area | Knox County, Tennessee, United States of America |
| Service type | transit bus, paratransit |
| Routes | 25 |
| Stops | 11,000 |
| Destinations | 234 |
| Hubs | 2 |
| Stations | 1 |
| Lounge | 66 |
| Fleet | 100 |
| Annual ridership | 3.6 million per year |
| Fuel type | Gasoline, Diesel |
| Operator | Amalgamated Transit Union local #1164. |
| Chief executive | Dawn Distler, Director |
| Website | katbus.com |
Knoxville Area Transit, commonly referred to as KAT, is the operator of public transportation in Knox County, Tennessee. Twenty five routes operate. Service on KAT routes operate Weekdays and Saturdays with route 11,12,20,22,31 and 41 offering Sunday service. All routes, except for routes 16,19,44,76 and 90 start at the Knoxville Station in Downtown. Knoxville Trolley Lines is a free shuttle service which provides service to the university and the downtown area.[1] KAT formerly operated the transit service for the University of Tennessee, known as The T.[2]
History
Public transportation in Knoxville dates back to 1876 when the first street cars of the Knoxville Street Railway Company were pulled by horses and mules along tracks on Gay Street. Since then, the transit system has undergone considerable changes, beginning in 1890 with the conversion from animal-drawn to electric-powered streetcars. In 1910, the system serviced 11 million passengers each year on 42 miles of track, introducing buses to serve the streetcar system's feeder routes in 1929. By the late 1940s, the system had mainly switched from electric streetcars to all buses, with electric streetcars making their last run in 1947. Later, in 1958, a bus service to the University of Tennessee was added to the system. The bus service continued to get upgrades, with air-conditioned GMC buses added to the Knoxville transit fleet in 1972.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Knoxville transit system went through some internal changes, first moving into a new facility on Magnolia Avenue in 1989 and then changing its name from "K-Trans" to "Knoxville Area Transit (KAT)" in 1995. From the 90s onward, the KAT system continued to upgrade, with a focus on environmental responsibility, beginning its Clean Fuels Program with the introduction of propane-powered vehicles in 2003. The next year, the KAT system was named North American Transit System of the Year by the American Public Transportation Association. In 2010, the transit system again changed facilities, moving its center of operations to the John J. Duncan, Jr. Knoxville Station. In 2014, KAT introduced three hybrid vehicles into its regular fleet. [3]
Routes
Regular Knoxville area routes
- 10 Sequyoah Hills
- 11 Kingston Pike*
- 12 Western Avenue*.
- 13 Beaumont.
- 16 Cedar Bluff Connector
- 17 Sutherland/Bearden
- 19 Lakeshore/Lonas Connector
- 20 Central Avenue/Clinton Hwy*.
- 21 Lincoln Park
- 22 Broadway*
- 23 Millertown Pike
- 24 Inskip/Breda Road
- 30 Parkridge
- 31 Magnolia Avenue*
- 32 Dandridge Avenue
- 33 MLK Jr Avenue
- 34 Burlington
- 40 South Knoxville
- 41 Chapman Highway*
- 42 UT/Fort Sanders hospitals
- 44 Gateway Apartments
- 45 Vestal
- 51 Football Game Express
- 90 Crosstown Connector this bus goes east and West
*-these routes offer 7 day service.
Knoxville Trolley Lines
Orange line trolley Blue line trolley Green line trolley
The Lift
KAT offers Paratransit LIFT service for those persons who are unable to use regular fixed-route buses. The LIFT is by reservation only, and you must be certified by KAT to use the service.
Fleet
Number Model 31-40 Gillig Trolley 2001-2003 Ford E350 321-326 Ford E450 710-721 Chance Opus 30-Foot 931-937 Chance Opus 35-Foot 3001-3006 Ford E450 4001-4026 Gillig LF 35 Foot 3007-3012 Ford Champion brought out in July 11,2016 5001-5008 Gillig LF 40 Foot 5009-5011. Gillig LF 40 Foot Hybrid Electric
Future bus numbers:.
4027-4031: Gillig 35" hybrid electric low floor buses.
Hours
KAT buses operate normally 6 days a week from about 530am till 845 pm with some routes ending at 11:15p.m. KAT does not operate on the following holidays: New Years Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Saturday Schedule is in effect on Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Day before Christmas and Day after Thanksgiving.
7 day Service is available on the following routes: 11,12,20,22,31 and 41.
References
- ↑ Knoxville Area Transit Trolley Lines
- ↑ The T - the University of Tennessee's transportation system, operated KAT
- ↑ Knoxville Area Transit. "Knoxville Area Transit: General Info Page 2". Retrieved 20 September 2016.