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.[3] KAT formerly operated the transit service for the University of Tennessee, known as The T.[4] In 2022, the system had a ridership of 2,139,000, or about 8,200 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.
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.[5]
Beginning in March 2020, all fares are free and riders must wear masks upon boarding, in addition to rear door boarding. Fare collections resumed in February 2021; all busses will have driver shields to minimize interaction.
Around Mid-2021 KAT has received a few 100% electric vehicles. These vehicles are New Flyer XE35's street numbered 3501-3512. (3511 is uncertain at this moment due to an accident involving the vehicle)
Around May 2022, KAT has ended the mask mandate and passengers are no longer required to wear a mask.
KAT is planning on redesigning the network in 2023.
Routes
Regular Knoxville area routes
RTE #
ROUTE NAME
INNER TERMINAL
OUTER TERMINAL
EXTRA
10
SEQUOYAH HILLS
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY N
KEOWEE AT KENOSAW
-CURRENTLY SUSPENDED AS OF 8/29/22
11
KINGSTON PIKE
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY O
WALMART
•
12
WESTERN AVE
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY E
INDUSTRIAL PARKWAY
•
13
BEAUMONT CONNECTOR
KNOX COUNTY HEALTH DEPT
MIDDLEBROOK AT 3RD CREEK
16
CEDAR BLUFF CONNECTOR
WALMART WEST
WINDSOR SQUARE
17
SUTHERLAND/BEARDEN
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY Q
FOREST PARK
*
19
LAKESHORE/LONAS
EARTH FARE
LONAS AT COLEMAN
CURRENTLY SUSPENDED AS OF 8/29/22
20
CENTRAL STREET
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY G
NORTHWEST CROSSING
•
21
LINCOLN PARK
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY B
CHICKAMAUGA AT BROADWAY
22
BROADWAY
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY H
JACKSBORO AND ESSARY
•
23
MILLERTOWN
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY I
CHARLIE HAUN AT WASHINGTON
•
24
INSKIP/BREDA
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY G
KROGER - FOUNTAIN CITY
30
PARKRIDGE
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY B
CECIL AT CROCKETT
31
MAGNOLIA
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY F
BURNS AT ASHEVILLE
•
32
DANDRIDGE
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY A
GOLDEN AGE RETIREMENT VLGE
33
MLK JR
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY N
CHARLIE HAUN AT WASHINGTON
•
34
BURLINGTON
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY D
KIRKWOOD SUPERSTOP
•
40
SOUTH KNOXVILLE
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY R
KROGER SOUTH
41
CHAPMAN HWY
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY P
WALMART SOUTH
•
42
HOSPITAL
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY M
UT HOSPITAL
*
44
UNIVERSITY PARK APARTMENTS
UNIVERSITY PARK APTS
UT TRANSFER POINT
45
VESTAL
KNOXVILLE STATION BAY S
KROGER SOUTH
90
CROSSTOWN CONNECTOR
WALMART WEST
CHARLIE HAUN AT WASHINGTON
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.[7]
Outer Terminus
51A
Civic Coliseum
51C
Farragut High Parking Lot
51D
Old City
51E
Market Square / Krutch Park
Knoxville Trolley Lines
Knoxville Trolley bus
Line
Destinations
Blue Line
Knoxville Station, Civic Coliseum, Waterfront
Green Line
Old City, Gay Street
Orange Line
University 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 6:15 a.m. until 9:15. Monday through Saturday except for routes 11,12,22,31 and 41 which run till 11:15p.m.. Route 42 operates until 10:15p.m. Sunday Service is from 8:15 a.m. until 5:15 p.m. KAT does not operate on the following holidays: New Years Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Sunday 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.
As of August 29,2022 because of staff shortage route 10 and 19 were temporary suspended while most routes were cut back on times.
.jpg)
.jpg){kind=spacer}
