Starting in May and continuing through at least August, the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority expects to boost the frequency of its downtown shuttle service from every 15 minutes to approximately every seven minutes in preparation for a summer upswing in demand.
CARTA’s director of communications and planning, Veronica Peebles, said in an interview Thursday that she anticipates the increased availability will start in early May. The system typically sees a seasonal uptick in ridership around Memorial Day, which this year is May 29.
“This will continue on through August,” she said. “We hope to maintain the manpower to continue with that because for many, many years, we always had a seven- to eight-minute frequency on the downtown shuttle year-round, but we’re definitely prepared for that for the summer.”
Peebles said downtown business slowed during the pandemic, and many larger employers are still working remotely, which no longer warranted a higher frequency of shuttle service at every stop.