Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Transit as the official mobility app for Knoxville.  Transit, a real-time transit-centered app operating in more than 300 cities with millions of active users, will now be available in Knoxville. Transit is free to download, and what’s more, KAT is providing riders with free upgrades to Transit’s premium mode, Transit Royale.

In addition to multimodal trip planning and real-time vehicle locations, the app provides lots of advanced features that allow users to easily navigate the area. 

These include:

● step-by-step navigation along with walking directions, and audio messaging for those with visual disabilities; 
● trip planning with multiple route and departure time options;
● departure time alarms for a planned trip; 
● onboard notifications to let you know when your stop is approaching; 
● crowdsourced real-time information with Transit’s GO feature, which can also show all users how crowded a bus is at a particular time; and
● A fun crowdsourcing leaderboard feature through Transit’s advanced Royale upgrade, free to Knoxville users

Upon launching the app, KAT riders see their location with nearby route options and departure times in big text and bright colors. Knoxville users will be able to upgrade to the Royale service for free, which offers additional features like more route choices, customizable themes, as well as personalized emoji avatars that allow riders to become celebrities on their local bus line and leaderboards for users competing to help the most riders with GO crowdsourcing.

“We are excited about introducing the Transit app to Knoxville,” say Isaac Thorne, Director of Transit for the City of Knoxville. “This is one part of our ongoing technology upgrades throughout the system.  Our plan is to also add a mobile ticketing feature within the Transit app that will allow users to both plan and pay for their trip within the same app.  We hope to launch that within the year.”

By endorsing Transit as its official app, KAT joins dozens of other public transit agencies across North America that have partnered with the app, including LA Metro, Boston’s MBTA, and Metro Transit in St. Louis. Transit works in nearby cities like Nashville and Asheville, North Carolina, so KAT riders can use Transit wherever they need to go. 

“Partnering with a single app that prioritizes transit makes it clear to riders where they can go for information,” said David Block-Schachter, Chief Business Officer of Transit. “We’re excited to work with KAT and to see more people using Transit as part of their daily routine.”

Transit is available to download for iPhone and Android at www.TransitApp.com or you can visit KATBus.com for additional information and links to the app.