Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority
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| Headquarters | 130 Nestor Street Nashville, TN 37210 |
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| Locale | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Service type | Bus |
| Routes | 40 |
| Operator | Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority |
| Chief executive | Paul J. Ballard |
| Web site | Official Website |
The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is a public transit bus system that serves Nashville-Davidson County, Tennessee.
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[edit] History
The first public transportation in Nashville began in 1860 when the McGavock and Mt. Vernon Horse Railroad Companyand the South Nashville street Railroad Company were joined together to create a public transportation system using steam and mules to power rail cars. The first electric streetcar in Nashville came in 1889. Over the years, several different companies offered transit in Nashville. The first buses came in 1926, as a complement to the preceding rail lines. After a reorganization period in 1953, the transit authority in Nashville was named the Nashville Transit Company. The next 20 years resulted in the decline of public transportation in Nashville and the rise of the automobile. Seeing this decline, the Metro-Nashville government purchased the Nashville Transit Company and renamed it the Metropolitan Transit Authority as a way to combat this decline.[citation needed]
[edit] MTA System
[edit] Bus
MTA's bus system serves all of Nashville-Davidson County. All of the bus routes go to the Downtown Bus Mall at Deadrick Street and Fifth Avenue in Downtown Nashville. The MTA also operates the End Zone Express shuttle for Titans Games.
Bus Mall at Deaderick Street
[edit] AccessRide
MTA offers a paratransit service operating specialized van services for people with disabilities unable to use regular bus routes. AccessRide provides door-to-door paratransit service in Davidson County within 1.5 miles from a regular bus route.
[edit] Park-N-Ride
MTA also has a Park and Ride program where the riders can park their cars in a designated parking lot and ride the bus into town.
[edit] Bus Link
MTA offers a bus link service in which a customer calls a shuttle to pick him or her up and transport the customer to a bus link location nearest to their destination. The Bus Link service is centered primarily in the Green Hills, Belle Meade, and West end areas.
[edit] Future plans
[edit] Music City Central
As of May 2007, MTA has embarked on the construction of Music City Central, a replacement to the older outdoor facility. Music City Central will be a two-story indoor facility where riders will be able to buy tickets, check bus schedules, and locate the nearest coffee shop for their morning caffeine fix.
[edit] Bus rapid transit
After years of study, MTA secured taxpayer funding to purchase the vehicles necessary for a bus rapid transit (BRT) line. Though no target date has been set aside, it is likely that the program will be studied and that construction will begin within the next four years.
