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Riders urge MTA to reverse Route 6 reroute and address Central station safety and cleanliness
Summary
Multiple public commenters told the MTA board that recent rerouting of Route 6 has increased walking distances to key services, created safety hazards crossing Lebanon Pike, and that Central bus station conditions are 'nasty' and unsafe for riders.
Several Nashville riders used the public comment period to press the Metropolitan Transit Authority for operational fixes after recent route changes and to raise safety concerns at the Central bus station.
Peter O'Connor described the reroute of bus Route 6 away from a previous stop at Living at Pike, saying riders now have to walk farther to reach the library, Dollar Tree and other businesses and must cross Lebanon Pike, a move he called a safety concern. "The driver went right by me," O'Connor said when recounting an incident where he missed the bus and had to take a cab, leaving him out $25. Richard Gonyer echoed the concerns, calling the Central station "nasty, dirty" and saying "nobody's doing nothing about it."
A second commenter, Darius Knight, urged the board and staff to press city officials to install dedicated bus lanes downtown to improve on-time performance and safety. "We need those bus lanes really bad," Knight said, urging the board to take the issue to the mayor and city council. Knight also raised staffing concerns for operations during major events and said that insufficient supervisory coverage had stressed operators during the July 4 weekend.
Board members did not respond with operational changes during the meeting; the chair closed public comment and moved to the information-only portion of the agenda. The transcript records riders' complaints and requests for board advocacy to city officials but does not show immediate commitments to specific route reversals or timelines for station improvements.
