Knoxville, TN (Story courtesy of WVLT) – Despite raising salaries and recruiting new bus drivers, Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) said Thursday it would be limiting some routes due to a personnel shortage.
Five routes will be affected:
- 2: Western;
- 15: Woodland Crosstown;
- 20: Central/Clinton Highway
- 42: Fort Sanders/UT Medical Center; and
- 17: Sutherland/Bearden
In a notice, KAT said each route’s 30-minute frequency would double to 60-minutes, except for Route 17, which will see no service on weekdays. Instead, Route 17 is being serviced by Route 11, which is the same with the exception of one stop.
“Like many transit agencies across the country, we are experiencing workforce shortages that impact our ability to maintain previous service levels,” Isaac Thorne, KAT executive director, said. “As much as we hate to temporarily reduce frequency on these five routes, this decision allows us to provide consistent service that our customers can count on.”
The changes will mean more reliable service, KAT said.
“Passengers can count on their bus being there and being on time,” KAT said. “In recent weeks, when a driver has missed work due to illness or time off, there has not always been a replacement driver available, and KAT hasn’t been able to alert its passengers with much lead time.”
KAT also asked anyone interested in joining to apply here: https://katbus.com/about-kat/careers/
