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KTA unveils phased plan to restore bus service, cites staffing and data fixes
Summary
KTA staff told the board it plans a three‑phase restoration of suspended routes in 2026, with potential phase‑one service in March and additional phases in May; staff said operator shortages and APC (automatic passenger counter) issues explain ridership and schedule discrepancies and announced a data partnership with UT to improve reporting.
KNOXVILLE — KTA staff told the board on Nov. 19 that the agency is aiming to restore suspended and reduced bus routes in three phases in 2026 and will update the board monthly.
KTA staff outlined priorities for the restoration plan as focusing on high‑ridership routes, minimizing adverse impacts on low‑income and minority communities and ensuring reliable access to essential transit service. "We are on the path of being a restore service in March," the KTA director (unnamed) said during the staff report.
The director listed candidate dates and route changes. Staff said Phase 1 has a potential date of 03/23/2026, which would return Route 12 and Route 20 to 30‑minute frequency from the current 60 minutes. A subsequent phase was listed in the transcript as "05/04/2026" to restore Route 15 and Route 17; staff also listed a potential Phase 3 date of 05/18/2026 to restore Route 42 to 30‑minute service. Staff emphasized these dates are potential and that restoration could be accelerated if staffing permits.
Staff also reported operational details: nine individuals are currently in training, three have completed testing and one more is expected to test soon, and the next training class begins Jan. 12. The agency will run Sunday service on Christmas Eve and will not provide service on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.
Board members pressed staff about public notification and data. A board member asked whether tentative restoration dates would be posted; staff said KTA will update the board and use typical channels, including social media and bus displays. The director said KTA will continue weekly reviews of staffing and service readiness.
On ridership reporting, staff said some discrepancies between a colorful bar chart and the system performance report are likely caused by APC (automatic passenger counter) malfunctions and differences between raw GMV feeds and calibrated APC data. "With the APC data, we think we're actually under reporting," staff said, explaining that the system compensates for missing APC days by expanding data windows. Staff said KTA is working with a University of Tennessee group, Hacks for Impact, to build web‑based reports that reconcile the two sources and better reflect calibrated APC counts.
The board set the next monthly update at the January meeting; staff said it will provide another progress report then. The board also set its next meeting for Jan. 22, 2026.
What happens next: KTA will continue weekly staffing reviews, train new operators, work with UT on reporting improvements and return to the board with monthly updates and specific public‑notification plans.
