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 | 1 Knoxville Station |
| 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. Knoxville's transit system has come a long way since; other dates of note are listed below:
- 1890 Knoxville Streetcars are converted from animal to electric power. The first electric streetcar ran from Gay Street to Lake Ottosee (now Chilhowee Park).
- 1910: Knoxville had 42 miles of track and was carrying 11 million passengers per year.
- 1929: The first buses were used, serving on feeder routes for the streetcar system.
- 1947: Electric streetcars made their last run in Knoxville on August 1.
- 1958: Bus service was first added to the University of Tennessee.
- 1972: The first air-conditioned GMC buses arrived in Knoxville.
- 1989: K-Trans moved into a new facility on Magnolia Avenue.
- 1995: K-Trans became Knoxville Area Transit (KAT).
- 2003: KAT began Clean Fuels Program with propane-powered vehicles.
- 2004: KAT named APTA's North American Transit System of the Year
- 2010: KAT begins operating out of the John J. Duncan, Jr. Knoxville Station, a brand-new, state-of-the-art, LEED-certified transit center.
- 2014: KAT introduced 3 hybrid vehicles to service on regular routes.
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 151-153 Ford E350 321-325 Ford E450 710-721 Chance Opus 30-Foot 931-937 Chance Opus 35-Foot 4001-4026 Gillig LF 35 Foot 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 avaible on the following routes: 11,12,20,22,31 and 41.