Knoxville Area Transit

Public transit agency in Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville Area Transit

Formerly| K-Trans
Founded| 1967
Headquarters| 301 Church Avenue
Locale| Knoxville, Tennessee
Service type| transit bus, paratransit
Routes| 20
Stops| 500+
Stations| 1
Fleet| Approx. 100
Daily ridership| 8,000 (weekdays, Q1 2025)[1]
Annual ridership| 2,500,800 (2024)[2]
Fuel type| Gasoline, Diesel, Hybrid-Electric, Electric
Director| Aquayla Maxwell
Website| katbus.com

Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) is the operator of public transportation in Knoxville, Tennessee. KAT operates 20 fixed bus routes, on-demand service, paratransit, and football shuttle buses. KAT formerly operated the transit service for the University of Tennessee, known as The T.[3] In 2024, the system had a ridership of 2,500,800.

## History

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Public transportation in Knoxville dates back to 1876 when the first street cars of the Knoxville Street Railway Company were pulled by horses and mules along tracks on Gay Street. Since then, the transit system has undergone considerable changes, beginning in 1890 with the conversion from animal-drawn to electric-powered streetcars. In 1910, the system serviced 11 million passengers each year on 42 miles of track, introducing buses to serve the streetcar system's feeder routes in 1929. By the late 1940s, the system had mainly switched from electric streetcars to all buses, with electric streetcars making their last run in 1947. Later, in 1958, a bus service to the University of Tennessee was added to the system. The bus service continued to get upgrades, with air-conditioned GMC buses added to the Knoxville transit fleet in 1972.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Knoxville transit system went through some internal changes, first moving into a new facility on Magnolia Avenue in 1989 and then changing its name from "K-Trans" to "Knoxville Area Transit (KAT)" in 1995. From the 90s onward, the KAT system continued to upgrade, with a focus on environmental responsibility, beginning its Clean Fuels Program with the introduction of propane-powered vehicles in 2003. The next year, the KAT system was named North American Transit System of the Year by the American Public Transportation Association. In 2010, the transit system again changed facilities, moving its center of operations to the John J. Duncan Jr. Knoxville Station. In 2014, KAT introduced three hybrid vehicles into its regular fleet.[4]

## Operations

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Service on KAT routes operate weekdays and Saturdays with routes 11, 12, 20, 22, 23, 31, 33, 34 and 41 and 42 offering Sunday service. All routes, except for routes 13,16, 19, 44 and 90 start at the Knoxville Station in Downtown.

### Current bus routes

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Route #[5] | Route name | Inner terminal | Outer terminal | Notes

|
|
|
|

1 | Downtown Connector | Knoxville Station  | Depot Ave  | Replaced trolley.
10 | Sequoyah Hills | Keowee at Kenesaw | Monday to Friday Peak only  |
11 | Sutherland/Kingston Pike | Walmart  |
12 | Western Avenue | Western aftern McKamey  |
15  | Woodland Crosstown  | Walmart  |
16 | Middlebrook/Cedar Bluff | Windsor Square on Market Place Blvd  |
17 | Sutherland | Forest Park |
20 | Central/Clinton Highway | Northwest Crossing |
22 | Broadway | Jackboro and Essary |
23 | Millertown | Target | Weekdays and Saturdays only
24 | Lincoln Park/Inskip | Central St and Woodlawn Dr  |
31 | Magnolia Avenue | Asheville Hwy before Holston Dr |
32 | Dandridge Avenue | Kirkwood St Superstop |
34 | Burlington Shopper | Walmart |
37 | Morningside/Riverside | Natchez and Wilder  |
40 | South Knoxville | Chapman Hwy after Young High Pk |
41 | Chapman Highway |
42 | Fort Sanders/UT Medical Centers | UT Medical Center |
44 | University Park Apartments | University Park Office | UT Transfer Point | Weekdays when UT classes are in session only
45 | Vestal | Knoxville Station | Hedgeapple before Young High Pk |  |

### Gameday shuttles

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KAT offers special shuttles for football games, which operate solely on specific dates. All lines terminate at Neyland Stadium. These lines are assigned the special "51" designator.[6]

Route # | Outer Terminus

|

51A  | Civic Coliseum
51D | Old City
51E | Market Square / Krutch Park

### katConnect

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katConnect is an on-demand service launched in August 2024. It serves the Holston Ridge, Cassel Ridge and Elk Hill Way apartment complexes, connecting them to nearby bus stops.[7]

### The LIFT

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KAT offers Paratransit LIFT service for those persons who are unable to use regular fixed-route buses. The LIFT is by reservation only, and you must be certified by KAT to use the service.[5]

## Fares

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Cash fares are $1.00 for adults and $0.50 for seniors and disabled people. Day passes and 30-day passes are available using a katpay card or the Transit app.[8] Knox County Schools students can ride for free through the Youth Freedom Pass program.[9] Fares for Football Shuttle buses are $10.00 round trip and must be paid using the Transit app.

## See also

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* List of bus transit systems in the United States

## References

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1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report First Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. May 15, 2025. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
3. ^ The T - the University of Tennessee's transportation system, operated KAT
4. ^ Knoxville Area Transit. "Knoxville Area Transit: General Info Page 2". Retrieved 20 September 2016.
5. ^ a b "Schedules & Maps". Knoxville Area Transit. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
6. ^ "Football Service Options". Knoxville Area Transit. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
7. ^ Marta Guzmán, María (2025-02-28). "Community advocates call for improvements of micro-transit system, while KAT says federal grant is uncertain". wbir.com. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
8. ^ "Fares". Knoxville Area Transit. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
9. ^ Young, Savannah (2022-03-16). "Knoxville Area Transit continuing free rides for students". WATE 6 On Your Side. Archived from the original on 2024-09-23. Retrieved 2025-04-09.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Knoxville Area Transit.

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Public transit in Tennessee

Statewide|

* Amtrak
* City of New Orleans
* Flixbus
* Greyhound Lines

West|

* Clarksville Transit System
* Jackson Transit Authority
* Memphis Area Transit Authority
* Main Street Line
* Riverfront Loop
* Madison Avenue Line

Central|

* Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority
* Franklin Transit Authority
* WeGo Public Transit
* WeGo Star
* Murfreesboro Rover

East|

* Bristol Tennessee Transit
* Cleveland Urban Area Transit System
* Johnson City Transit
* Kingsport Area Transit System
* Knoxville Area Transit
* Lakeway Transit

Transportation in Tennessee

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

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