Knoxville Area Transit

Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) is the operator of public transportation in Knoxville, Tennessee. Twenty-five routes operate. Service on KAT routes operate weekdays and Saturdays with routes 11, 12, 20, 22, 23, 31, 33, 34 and 41 and 42 offering Sunday service. All routes, except for routes 13,16, 19, 44 and 90 start at the Knoxville Station in Downtown. The Knoxville Trolley 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]

Knoxville Area Transit
Founded1967
Headquarters301 Church Avenue
LocaleKnoxville, TN
Service areaKnox County, Tennessee, United States of America
Service typetransit bus, paratransit
Routes23
Stops11,000
Destinations234
Hubs2
Stations1
Lounge66
Fleet100
Annual ridership3.6 million per year
Fuel typeGasoline, Diesel, Hybrid-Electric(diesel)
OperatorAmalgamated Transit Union local #1164.
Chief executiveDawn Distler, Director
Websitekatbus.com

History
Knoxville Area Transit bus

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]

Since mid-March 2020, all fares are free and riders must wear masks upon boarding, besides entering/exiting from rear doors. Fare collections will resume come February 2021; by then, all busses will have driver shields to minimise interaction.

Routes

Regular Knoxville area routes[4]
Route nameInner TerminalOuter Terminal7-day service
10Sequoyah Hills CommuterKnoxville Station (Platform N)Keowee at Kenesaw
11Kingston PikeKnoxville Station (Platform O)Walmart at Walbrook Drive•
12Western AvenueKnoxville Station (Platform E)Industrial Parkway•
13Beaumont ConnectorHealth Department at Dameron and Central (Connection to Route 20 Central Avenue)Middlebrook Pike at 3rd Creek Rd (Connection to Rt 90 Crosstown Connector)
16Cedar Bluff ConnectorWalmart at Walbrook DriveWindsor Square
17Sutherland Avenue/ BeardenKnoxville Station (Platform Q)Forest Park*
19Lakeshore/Lonas ConnectorEarth Fare (at Forest Park)Lonas at Coleman / Sunflower Apts.
20Central Avenue / Clinton HighwayKnoxville Station (Platform G)Northwest Crossing•
21Lincoln ParkKnoxville Station (Platform B)Chickamauga at Broadway
22BroadwayKnoxville Station (Platform H)Jacksboro at Essary•
23MillertownKnoxville Station (Platform I)Knoxville Center Mall•
24InskipKnoxville Station (Platform G)Knox Road Transfer Point
30ParkridgeKnoxville Station (Platform B)Cecil at Crockett
31Magnolia AvenueKnoxville Station (Platform F)Burns Rd. at Asheville Hwy.•
32Dandridge AvenueKnoxville Station (Platform A)Golden Age Retirement Village
33MLK Jr AvenueKnoxville Station (Platform Q)Knoxville Center Mall•
34BurlingtonKnoxville Station (Platform D)Kirk at Catalpa•
40South KnoxvilleKnoxville Station (Platform R)Chapman Hwy.
41Chapman HighwayKnoxville Station (Platform P)Walmart at John Sevier Highway•
42Fort Sanders/UT HospitalKnoxville Station (Platform M)UT Hospital*
44University Park ApartmentsUniversity Park ApartmentsUT Transfer Point
45VestalKnoxville Station (Platform S)Chapman Hwy.
90Crosstown ConnectorWalmart at Walbrook DriveEast Town Mall

Lines with asterisks (*) denote lines that operate daily.

Gameday Shuttles

KAT offers special shuttles for football games, which operate solely on specific dates. All lines terminate at Neyland Stadium. These lines are assigned the special "51" designator.[5]

Outer Terminus
51ACivic Coliseum
51CFarragut High Parking Lot
51DOld City
51EMarket Square / Krutch Park

Knoxville Trolley Lines
Knoxville Trolley bus
LineDestinations
Blue LineKnoxville Station, Civic Coliseum, Waterfront
Green LineOld City, Gay Street
Orange LineUniversity of Tennessee, Downtown

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.

Hours

KAT buses operate normally daily except Sundays from about 5:30 a.m. till 9:15 p.m. with some routes having their last trip departing at 11:15 p.m. KAT does not operate on the following holidays: New Years Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Saturday schedule is in effect on Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, the day before Christmas and the day after Thanksgiving.

As of January 2, 2020 the following routes offer 7-day service: 11, 12, 17, 20, 22, 23, 31, 33, 34, 41, and 42.

References
  1. Knoxville Area Transit Trolley Lines
  2. The T - the University of Tennessee's transportation system, operated KAT
  3. Knoxville Area Transit. "Knoxville Area Transit: General Info Page 2". Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  4. "Bus Routes". Knoxville Area Transit. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  5. "Football Shuttle". Knoxville Area Transit. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
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