The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) is the mass transit provider for

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

and its

vicinity Surroundings are the area around a given physical or geographical point or place. The exact definition depends on the field. Surroundings can also be used in geography (when it is more precisely known as vicinity, or vicinage) and mathematics, ...

. Public transportation first appeared on the streets of Chattanooga in 1875, utilizing horse-drawn trollies. The two main routes followed Market Street and East Ninth Street (now Martin Luther King Boulevard). In 1889, the trolleys were replaced with electric

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

s. With the advent of the

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combus ...

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

es began to appear more frequently. In 1941, Southern Coach Lines took over the public transit operations, and the last streetcar ran in 1946.

City control

In 1973, the City of Chattanooga purchased the assets of the former Southern Coach Lines, and formed the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority. CARTA now operates 17 bus routes, trimmed down from 30, as some routes have been consolidated or eliminated. In addition, CARTA also operates a free downtown

shuttle bus service Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications ...

, utilizing electric buses, which runs between the

Chattanooga Choo Choo "Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and composed by Harry Warren. It was originally recorded as a big band/swing tune by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie '' Sun Valley Serenade''. It was ...

(the former Terminal Station) and the Tennessee Aquarium. Public parking is available at both locations. CARTA owns and operates the historic

Lookout Mountain Incline Railway The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is a inclined plane funicular railway leading to the top of Lookout Mountain from the historic St. Elmo neighborhood of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Passengers are transported from St. Elmo's Station at the base, ...

, which ascends from the St. Elmo neighborhood to the town of

Lookout Mountain, Tennessee Lookout Mountain is a town in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,058 at the 2020 census. Bordering its sister city of Lookout Mountain, Georgia to the south, Lookout Mountain is part of the Chattanooga, TN– GA ...

. CARTA also provides

paratransit Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...

van services, called CARTA Care-A-Van.

List of routes

' ;1. Alton Park :

, The Villages at Alton Park, Piney Woods, Wheeler Homes, Erlanger Community Health Center (Southside), Alton Park Recreation Center, Howard School of Academics & Technology, and Food City. ;2. North Chattanooga :North Market Street, North Shore Market,

Coolidge Park Coolidge Park is a park located on the North Shore of Chattanooga, Tennessee along the Tennessee River. It has an interactive water fountain, rock climbing, a pavilion, picnic amenities, a military memorial, and a 100-year old restored antique ...

, Renaissance Park, Spears Avenue, Cherokee Boulevard, CADAS, Johnson Mental Health Center, North Chattanooga Recreation Center ;3. Enterprise South : Hamilton County Dept. of Education, Amazon Fulfillment Center, Volkswagen Group of America ;4. Eastgate/Hamilton Place : UT-Chattanooga, UTC Place, Client Services Building/Human Services,

Tennessee Temple University Tennessee Temple University was a private Christian university in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Temple Baptist Seminary was the university's graduate school of Christian theology, also operating in Chattanooga. The university merged with Piedmont Int ...

, Brainerd Road, Eastgate Town Center,

Hamilton Place Mall Hamilton Place is an enclosed, two-story shopping mall in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States, just off I-75. It was the largest shopping mall in the state of Tennessee from 1987 to 1998. History The mall opened to the public on August 5, 1987 ...

, Walmart, Lee Highway, Parkridge Hospital,

Warner Park Warner Park is a community park on the northeast side of Madison, Wisconsin near Lake Mendota. Warner Park is also the home to the Madison Mallards baseball team, a member of the Northwoods League. Its stadium, nicknamed the "Duck Pond", was ...

;5. North Brainerd "Dial-a-Ride" Route :Eastgate Town Center, Brainerd High School, North Brainerd Community, Eastwood Manor, Dalewood Middle School, Woodmoore School, Foxwood Plaza, Wilson Air Center ;6. East Brainerd "Dial-a-Ride" Route :Hamilton Place Mall, East Brainerd Road, Gunbarrel Road, Gunbarrel Pointe, Memorial Atrium, Erlanger East, McCutcheon Road, Health Center at Standifer Place, Rainbow Creek Apartments, U.S. Express, Social Security Office ;7. Chattanooga Housing Authority :UTC, Erlanger, Fortwood Center, CARTA,

Engel Stadium Engel Stadium is a stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The stadium was built in 1930 and holds 12,000 people. It was the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts until 1999 when they moved to their current stadium, AT&T Field. The former Tennessee Temple ...

, Warner Park, Alexian Brothers, Chattanooga Housing Authority located on Holtzclaw Avenue at Citico ;8. Eastdale (Weekdays/Saturdays) :Battery Heights, Tunnel Boulevard, Signal Centers, Greenwood Road, Foxwood Plaza ;9. East Lake :Chattanooga Choo Choo, Main Street, Dodds Avenue, Goodwill Industries, East Side Community Center, East Lake Courts, East Lake Academy of Fine Arts ;10A. East Chattanooga-Avondale : UT-Chattanooga, Avondale, Erlanger Community Health Center (Dodson Ave.), Erlanger Medical Center, Hamilton County Health Department, Hardy Elementary School, Warner Park ;10C. East Chattanooga-Campbell St. : UT-Chattanooga, Erlanger Medical Center, Hamilton County Health Department, Campbell Street, Highway 58, Warner Park, Erlanger Community Health Center (Dodson Ave.) ;10G. East Chattanooga-Glenwood : UT-Chattanooga, Glenwood, Erlanger Medical Center, Hamilton County Health Department, Memorial Hospital, Parkwood Nursing Home, Parkridge Medical Center, Warner Park ;13. Rossville :East Lake Courts, 23rd Street, Chattanooga Community Kitchen, Senior Neighbors, Whiteside Faith Manor ;14. "Mocs Express" ''(free shuttle for UT-Chattanooga students, faculty and staff.)'' :UTC Campus, UTC Place,

, Downtown Chattanooga ;15. St. Elmo : St. Elmo Ave and Broad Street ;16. Northgate : Northgate Mall, Hixson Pike, Riverview, Highland Plaza, Lowe's, Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, Stockdale's ;19. Cromwell Road :

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) is 5 miles (8 km) east of downtown Chattanooga, in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The airport is owned and operated by the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority., effective ...

, UT-Chattanooga, Erlanger Medical Center, Eastwood Manor, Cromwell Hills, Waterford Place, Main Postal Facility,

Farley's & Sathers Candy Company Farley's & Sathers Candy Company was created as an umbrella company to roll up many small companies, brands and products under a common management team.Finley Stadium W. Max Finley Stadium is the home stadium for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team and Chattanooga FC ( NISA), a professional Division 3 soccer team. The stadium also hosts various high school sports and musical concerts. It ...

;28. Amnicola Highway :

Chattanooga State Community College Chattanooga State Community College (Chattanooga State or, informally, Chatt State) is a public community college in Chattanooga, Tennessee.“Chattanooga State Community College.” Educating Tennessee. Tennessee Board of Regents. http://www.tb ...

, Chattanooga Area Food Bank, Police Services Center

Fares

, fares rates for their respectable services are: Bus - *Adult: $1.50 *Child (under 6): FREE ''with paying passenger, limit 3.'' *Senior Citizens (Ages 65+): $0.75 ''(CARTA Special Fare I.D. Card Required+)'' *Persons with Disability: $0.75 ''(CARTA Special Fare I.D. Card Required+)'' *Students: $0.75 ''(CARTA Student Bye Pass Card Required for students in Grades 6-12)'' +Medicare card is accepted as proof of eligibility for the CARTA Special Fare ID Card. CARTA Care-A-Van - *One way: $2.50 *Round Trip: $5 Specials - *24 Hour Unlimited Ride Pass: $4 *31 Day Unlimited Ride Pass: $50

References

External links

* {{Authority control Bus transportation in Tennessee Transportation in Chattanooga, Tennessee 1973 establishments in Tennessee Government agencies established in 1973 Organizations based in Chattanooga, Tennessee