Beginning May 4 through the summer, the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority will run three service enhancements and three pilot programs, which may lead to permanent changes later:
Summer Enhancements
North Chattanooga: Continued North Shore Express Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Chief Administrative Officer Veronica Peebles reported that this shuttle has had 1,200 riders in the month since it began. “We’re very pleased about that,” she said. The service is designed to aid pedestrians while the Walnut Street Bridge is closed for repairs for 18 months.
East Chattanooga: New 30-minute frequency on Route 1 (Alton Park), Route 10A (Avondale) and Route 10G (Glenwood).
Hamilton Place: New 15-minute frequency on Route 4.
Summer Pilots
North Brainerd Circulator Shuttle: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., every 30 minutes. This shuttle is free and designed to connect residents to the Route 4 buses while reducing strain on CARTA GO. Ms. Peebles said this route will use the buses that serve UTC during the school year. CARTA will coordinate with local neighborhood associations and social media to publicize.
St. Elmo/Incline Shuttle on Route 15: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., every 25 minutes. Sunday service remains as it is. This expansion will support the Incline’s reopening and the surrounding St. Elmo community during the area’s peak season. Ms. Peebles reported that the local neighborhood association and Dist. 7 Councilwoman Raquetta Dotley are very involved, already spreading the word about this pilot.
Citymapper app pilot: This multimodal trip planning tool integrates with CARTA GO and the fixed routes and also integrates with the Token Transit fare app. This tool will be piloted for one full year.
Budget Consultant
Finance consultant Sander Abernathy told the board that he is working to reorganize CARTA’s financial reports to offer better visibility and a better sense of operating activities and sources of revenue.
“I see big opportunities to move things forward,” Mr. Abernathy said. “I see some really quick (remedies) here.”
Mr. Abernathy has prioritized finalizing CARTA’s transition to new time recording and accounting systems, each adopted more than a year ago. Also, he is analyzing hours and overtime for payroll, he said.
CARTA’s last American Rescue Plan Act funds were applied in February, realizing a budget shortfall in March that will require CARTA to focus on managing resources and maintaining cash flow, Mr. Abernathy told the board.
The Incline is expected to lose $1.5 million to $2 million in revenues while closed for repairs, he said, all of which should be reimbursed by the insurance company, plus the cost of the actual repairs. CARTA President and CEO Charles Frazier reported that Incline repairs are on schedule.
Dr. Keri Randolph, executive director of Chattanooga 2.0, presented early efforts of the Out-of-School Time Alliance team to use CARTA buses to get kids to after-school and summer activities.
Dr. Randolph told the board that a key cause of youth violence is that “they don’t have enough to do.” CARTA bus routes show promise at first glance, she said.
“We actually have good coverage,” she said. “There’s certainly some gaps, but overall we were pleasantly surprised.”
The Alliance is supported by Mayor Tim Kelly and Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson, she said.
Care-A-Van Update
Mark Poirier, CARTA director of paratransit, re-introduced the board to the Care-A-Van service. Care-A-Van operates at a loss every month and operates over capacity, based on overtime hours, he said. He is working methodically to make the service more efficient with existing resources, with plans to overhaul and update dispatch and the call center, negotiate trip times, and input recurring trips as subscriptions so that CARTA can plan ahead.
Care-A-Van covers almost 1,000 square miles, Mr. Poirier said. Monthly, 42 percent of passengers are riding to jobs and 37 percent are riding to medical appointments, he said, underscoring the importance of the service.