On Jan. 2, many Asheville Redefines Transit (ART) bus routes will add hours to their routes, thanks to additional funding approved by City Council. How did City staff determine the best way to allocate that funding? They asked ART riders, of course.
During the month of September 2016, City staff gathered input from riders and potential future riders at in-person meetings, through an online survey and through paper surveys that were available on the buses. That public input ended up being the most important factor in deciding where to add the expanded hours.
“Our goal is to meet the needs of our customers,” said Elias Mathes, Transit Program Coordinator at the City of Asheville. “We are excited to be able to offer extended service starting in January.”
Additional evening service is being added to E1, E2, W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, S1 and S4. Routes E1 and S5 will also see earlier morning runs. Additional changes include a new route – S6 – which will provide additional service down Hendersonville Road to Biltmore Park, and a simplified schedule of four trips Monday through Saturday on Route 170.
The complete route updates can be found here. Learn more about the Asheville transit system here.