TN: CARTA to test free north Brainerd shuttle in summer months

Residents of North Brainerd neighborhoods will be able to ride a free shuttle in their area this summer.

The route, which traverses parts of Brainerd, North Moore and Shallowford roads, is part of a pilot program to test a route that could potentially lighten the load of Chattanooga's on-demand ride service, CartaGo.

The service is set to begin this week, when the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority switches to its summer schedule.

The circulator is meant to replace some trips on CartaGo, which serves parts of Brainerd, East Brainerd, Eastdale and surrounding communities, CARTA officials said. At an average of four trips an hour during open times, the service is at capacity, Chief Administrative Officer Veronica Peebles said at a recent meeting of the CARTA board.

The free shuttle also connects along Brainerd Road with the No. 4 bus, which carries an average of nearly 30,000 riders a month, according to CARTA numbers. Starting Sunday, the route is set to run at a 15-minute frequency, rather than 30 minutes, during midday hours.

CARTA board board Chair Johan de Nysschen said the free route should free up capacity on CARTA's on-demand services and also funnel more people to its fixed bus routes.

So you could have a double whammy," he said.

The authority has the benefit of extra buses to use over the summer while its free Mocs Express shuttle, serving the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus, isn't running. The buses don't have a fare box like other CARTA buses do, so it works well as a free shuttle, officials said.

"Our driver will stop at all of the signs (new or already present) and will also stop at corners if there are riders waiting and it's safe to do so, as this is our current policy," spokesperson Scott Wilson said in an email.

The route will make it easier to get to places that include Brainerd High School, the Chris L. Ramsey Sr. Community Center and other schools, including Woodmore Elementary, Barger Academy, Dalewood Middle School and Boyd Buchanan.

It is set to run every 30 minutes between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The shuttle goes through the Menlo Park neighborhood, where it could benefit bus riders, neighborhood association head Helena Kelley said — as long as people know about it.

"There are people that go from our neighborhood to Brainerd Road," Kelley said by phone. "It would be a nice little free shuttle for them."

Other Routes

Another pilot program will increase the frequency of a shuttle running between St. Elmo and downtown Chattanooga over the summer, adding another bus every 25 minutes.

The shuttle links Chattanooga buses with the Incline Railway, which is still out of commission due to repairs from a late 2024 fire.

The repairs are mostly on schedule, officials said at the meeting.

While the Walnut Street Bridge is closed, CARTA is also running two additional free shuttles to help people get across the river in hopes they'll still visit North Shore businesses.

"In a month's time, since its implementation, we have experienced over 1,200 riders," Peebles said of the Northshore Express, which runs every 15 minutes from Thursday to Sunday.

Starting this month CARTA is also testing a trip planning app, Citymapper, which provided the authority with a free one-year trial.

"This has only been accessible in large metros for years, but every time I'm in one, this is the go-to," board member Corey Evatt said at the meeting.

The app "gamifies public transit, Evatt said, by showing users metrics like how much they've saved on emissions or how many calories burned.

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