To increase CARTA’s transparency, board member publishes ridership data

In an effort to increase transparency within the organization, CARTA board member Corey Evatt has published ridership data, showing how the service has fared over the past several months.

Evatt posted the data to an online dashboard through his website, ChattaTransit, a platform he started prior to being appointed to the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority board of directors.

The site promotes resources for car-free travel in Chattanooga.

Ridership data is not publicly accessible on CARTA’s website. Evatt said in a phone interview it’s important for information to be available to the public to improve the authority’s service.

“We need to be better, and you can’t be better unless you have all the facts on the table,” Evatt said. “You can’t get good or bad feedback. You can’t get constructive criticism.”

(READ MORE: CARTA offers riders limited ways to pay when compared to other transit systems in region)

According to the data on Evatt’s dashboard, there were 882,260 total rides taken on CARTA bus routes in 2023. That’s just the fixed routes that go throughout city. It doesn’t include the electric shuttle routes contained to downtown.

The route with the highest ridership in 2023, by more than 200,000 above the next route, was the No. 4 that goes along Brainerd Road to Hamilton Place.

Evatt, who has built and placed benches at CARTA bus stops throughout the city, also published data concerning the percentage of passengers who have a place to sit while waiting for the bus.

According to his data, 50% of passengers have seating or shelter.

About 5% of all CARTA bus stops are sheltered, the Chattanooga Times Free Press previously reported.

(READ MORE: Q&A: CARTA’s soon-to-be new CEO talks public transit in Chattanooga)

Contact Ben Sessoms at bsessoms@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.