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Friday, November 13, 2026Nov 13

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CARTA climbs out of ‘catastrophic’ half-million dollar hole

Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / A CARTA bus drops off passengers in downtown Chattanooga along Market Street.
Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / A CARTA bus drops off passengers in downtown Chattanooga along Market Street. Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / A CARTA bus drops off passengers in downtown Chattanooga along Market Street.


CARTA ended 2025 nearly $500,000 in the hole, halfway through the agency’s fiscal year.

The revelation came from the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority’s January board meeting.

“It’s catastrophic,” said Johan de Nysschen, CARTA board chair. “If we are halfway through the year and we are half a million dollars down the tubes, I don’t know how you fix a trend like that this quickly.”

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