WeGo lays out service expansion plan: 24/7 corridors, fleet growth and hiring to follow funding ramp

WeGo representatives presented the committee with an operational framework for expanding transit service as the Choose How You Move program moves from planning to delivery.

A WeGo operations speaker told the group the plan envisions an incremental rollout of service that “translates over time to about an 80% expansion in service,” with the financial plan phasing those increases across roughly a 12-year horizon to allow hiring, fleet procurement and facility work to keep pace.

Near-term actions described by staff include July schedule changes that raise midday and weekend frequencies on key corridors and a July 6 service change that will implement midday and evening frequency increases on select routes. WeGo said it expanded Access On Demand to weekends the prior weekend and added three new WeGo Link microtransit zones earlier in the rollout. Staff said the city has placed an initial order for additional buses; an initial delivery is expected in mid-2026 to support service expansions such as an early extension of Route 55 to serve the airport.

Staff emphasized the facilities and workforce components required to scale service: WeGo currently employs roughly 850 people and expects to add about 700 employees to operate and maintain an expanded system; the active bus fleet is approximately 260 buses and is planned to grow toward 360 buses over time. Staff also said passenger facilities are a priority: the existing central transit center is over capacity with daily bus movements and riders that strain the single hub, so the program includes development of neighborhood transit centers and additional downtown hubs.

WeGo staff noted safety remains a core concern and reported an overall safety record described in the meeting as strong; on one recent service redesign in North Nashville, staff said frequency and network changes generated a roughly 36% ridership increase on affected routes.