Nashville MTA Launches New Innovative On-Demand BusLink Service
Within Designated Zone in Green Hills and Belle Meade as Pilot Project
Are you planning to leave the office at lunch, but don't feel like driving the car or losing the company parking spot you got close to the front door today?
Do you need to pick up a last minute gift, attend a luncheon meeting at a nearby Green Hills restaurant, or meet friends for a morning walk at the mall, but do not want to drive there?
The Nashville MTA can help. Effective April 2, 2007, BusLink – a brand-new pilot project for the residents of Green Hills and Belle Meade – is being launched by the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority. This new "on-demand" service will operate very differently than the traditional fixed route bus service in Metro Nashville.
"We will use a smaller, 16-passenger van with an environmental theme that will operate on-demand when a customer calls for a ride within the designated zone between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday," Planning Director Jim McAteer said. “This innovative pilot project will be replicated in other neighborhoods if it is successful in this area.”
Approximately 58 small green-and-white BusLink stop signs are going up within the designated zone, which borders Hillsboro Pike, Belle Meade Boulevard, Woodmont Boulevard and Harding Road. Customers needing to travel from one stop location to another within the zone should call 862-LINK (5465) at least 40 minutes before they need to begin their trip. They will talk directly with the BusLink driver, who will tell them when he or she will be at the BusLink stop closest to caller.
During the entire month of April, the service will be free due to the generous contribution of Councilwoman Lynn Williams, who is donating her district's community funds for the BusLink pilot. On May 1, the fee will be the same as a regular bus fare ($1.25 for adults, 60 cents for seniors or people with disabilities, and 70 cents for youth, ages 19 and younger). All MTA ticket media will be honored on BusLink, including multi-ride tickets and passes.
To learn more about this unique transportation pilot project, please contact MTA's customer service call center at 862-5950, or pick up a brochure at the customer service desk at The Mall at Green Hills or other area businesses. Customers also may review the brochure online at www.NashvilleMTA.org by clicking the BusLink icon.
# # #
Editor's Note: To request this information in an alternative format, please call 862-5950 and ask to speak with MTA's ADA Coordinator.
