Gail Carr Williams, chair of the Metro Transit Authority of Nashville, and a group of council members and advocates on Wednesday highlighted the rapid expansion of the Journey Pass pilot and urged the board to formalize emergency fare‑suspension tools.

Councilmember Quinn Evans Seale, chair of the Metropolitan Council’s transportation and infrastructure committee, told the board that WeGo accelerated Journey Pass distribution during a federal shutdown, noting the system issued 4,500 passes to residents who needed them. "We really appreciate the work that WEGO did on that," Seale said during public comment and asked the agency to consider a standing process for emergency fare suspension for events such as funding freezes, shutdowns, tornadoes or flooding.

The board chair added operational detail in a staff update. According to Gail Carr Williams, the pilot initially distributed 2,500 passes before the shutdown, later expanded to "over 5,000" enrolled participants, and the agency recorded "over 70,000 individual trips" taken on Journey Pass cards in the early rollout. Williams singled out staff and partner agencies for rapid enrollment work and named Zita Riggs, director of communications and customer care, and Amanda Vandegrift, deputy chief executive for finance and administration, for their roles in the accelerated response.

Transit advocates who spoke during public comment supported the request for a formal rapid‑response policy. Adam Nicholson, speaking for local transit advocates, thanked staff for the enrollment work and suggested additional tools to improve crisis response, including direct mailing of Journey Passes to known qualifying customers to increase access during emergencies.

Why it matters: Board members and advocates framed the request as a preparedness and equity issue — that a standing policy to allow coordinated, rapid fare relief could reduce barriers during sudden economic or weather shocks. The board did not adopt a new policy at the meeting; members directed staff and discussed options during public comment and staff updates.

What’s next: Staff will continue piloting enrollment and coordinating with Metro social‑service partners. Councilmember Seale and advocates asked the board to explore an emergency fare suspension policy and faster distribution methods; no formal board action or ordinance to implement a waiver policy was introduced at this meeting.