UCHRA Eliminated Bus Fares For Go Routes

Effective Monday, UCHRA permanently eliminating bus fares for all of its Go Routes in Cookeville, Crossville, and McMinnville.

Transportation Director Holly Montooth said the hope is that the change will remove barriers for the local citizens and make public transportation more accessible to all. Montooth said it should also increase awareness for their services within the different communities they work with.

“We have designed our routes to not only visit and stop at shopping locations and those essential need locations, but also residential homes and apartment complexes and senior centers,” Montooth said. “So for those folks that have never utilized public transportation before, we hope that this will encourage them to do so.”

The Go Route provides continuous loops around the communities served. Montooth said they are able to afford such a change because funding for the program is based on ridership, not the fares collected.

“By removing the fare, it increases ridership, and therefore helps us,” Montooth said. “It’s better off in the long run, and not just for us, but the riders as well, and for the communities.”

She said the lack of fares will not have an impact on how the UCHRA operates the buses. Montooth said this is the first time the UCHRA has ever offered free bus rides on such a large scale.

She said there are no plans for additional fare-free routes at this time, but the matter will be re-considered when the UCHRA re-evaluates its routes at the end of their next fiscal year.

Montooth said she hopes the plan will also help make the bus rides themselves more enjoyable.