NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's been over a year since the North Nashville Transit Center opened on Clarksville Pike, and the results show Nashville residents are embracing public transportation in growing numbers.
What used to be a simple bus stop has transformed into a full transit center, and WeGo officials say the impact has been significant since the facility opened.
"Yeah, it was just bus stops. And it was very highly used," said Eric Melcher, who shares updates about the WeGo bus system in Nashville.
Since opening, more people in North Nashville are choosing to ride the bus, with ridership numbers to show for it.
"I think certainly the 40% increase in ridership for routes that are using the transit center, that's a very exciting thing," Melcher said. "Because what this basically means for the neighborhood is an increased access to jobs, education, and health care."
The Choose How You Move Initiative plans similar centers in other areas like Madison, Donelson, Bellevue and Antioch, allowing direct crosstown routes like the one between North and East Nashville.
"And so as we get more transit centers, it's going to allow us to do more crosstown routes and avoid the downtown area," Melcher said.
Eventually these centers will support faster direct rides, which Melcher said help people choose to ride the bus.
"We expect those to be over the next 10 to 15 years," Melcher said.
Since the transit center opened along Clarksville Pike, WeGo said they increased services there by 70% in part because of Choose How You Move funding.
WeGo will host a community event this Saturday at the North Nashville Transit Center which will show historical displays of the North Nashville community.
"Cause really what we wanted to do at the North Nashville Transit Center was show the past, the present, and the future of North Nashville. And that's reflected in displays and artwork and all sorts of cool stuff," Melcher said.
The event will feature music, food and speakers from noon to 3 p.m., and it's free to attend.
Have you used Nashville's public transit system? Share your experience with WeGo services and let us know how transit improvements have impacted your daily commute. Contact reporter Kim Rafferty at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com with your transit stories and suggestions for future coverage.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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