Many South Knoxville neighborhoods as well as East Knoxville's Burlington area will see extended evening bus service on weekdays beginning on May 4, 2015. In addition, the Sequoyah Hills area will have peak weekday commuter service to UT and downtown, and Beck Cultural Exchange Center will have new stops right out front. These comprise the overall package of route changes approved by the Knoxville Transportation Authority back in February. 

Passengers on the 34 - Burlington, 40 - South Knoxville, and 45 - Vestal bus routes will have new 7:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. trips departing from Knoxville Station, Monday through Friday. The changes are the result of a wide variety of passenger input, from petitions requesting later service in South Knoxville to surveys regarding access to jobs in Montgomery Village. 

"An outreach meeting at a local neighborhood breakfast spot gave us some great input on improving the plan for the Sequoyah Hills route," says Dawn Distler, Director of Transit. "We are expanding our outreach focus to spend more time in the community, and I think the results are going to be a transit system that works better for everyone." 

The re-routing to provide better service to Beck Cultural Exchange Center was one KAT staff had been working on for some time. The route that will serve Beck also serves the Knoxville Botanical Gardens. 

"We think this will become a popular route for those wanting to explore more of the wonderful cultural and outdoor attractions Knoxville has to offer," says Distler. 

For more information on KAT routes and schedules, visit www.katbus.com.