Transit service expansion at two Metro Nashville high schools supported by Choose How You Move funding goes to WeGo.
In the upcoming 2025/26 school year, Nashville's Choose How You Move program is set to improve public transit for students and staff by introducing dedicated bus routes to two Metro high schools - McGavock and Glencliff.
Specifically, WeGo's Route 6 will serve McGavock High School, and Route 52 will cater to Glencliff High School. These routes will run twice daily, ensuring students can reach their first class without any hassle. The corridors serving these schools have consistently high student ridership, making these improvements particularly targeted and impactful.
The new service, a part of the StrIDe program, allows students and staff to ride WeGo for no charge, eliminating financial barriers and expanding access to Metro Nashville Public Schools. Sabrina Sussman, the Chief Program Officer of Choose How You Move, noted that the program is an example of making transit make sense for more Nashvillians.
MNPS Superintendent Adrienne Battle expressed her gratitude for the transportation access prioritized through this partnership, stating that it's another step toward ensuring every student can engage fully in their education. Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell also emphasized that the new service will make it easier for high school students to get to their classes.
The StrIDe program, in its current form, has provided over 712,000 rides over the past year. Beyond these immediate future plans, the Choose How You Move program envisions further transit service enhancements for students and staff in coming years, though detailed future expansions beyond 2025/26 have not been fully specified yet.
It's important to note that these improvements come alongside other major transit and infrastructure projects, such as the proposed Music City Loop tunnel. Mayor O'Connell has emphasized assessing these interactions to maintain the integrity of key transit corridors.
In summary, the Choose How You Move program is working to make using public transportation more convenient and accessible for everyone in Nashville. The immediate future plans include launching dedicated, school-focused bus routes for McGavock and Glencliff High Schools starting school year 2025/26, with broader transit improvements anticipated in subsequent years to better serve Nashville’s students and staff.
- The rail industry may find opportunities to collaborate with the management of Nashville's public-transit system, as the proposed Music City Loop tunnel could potentially benefit from the financial support and expertise of the finance sector.
- In response to the concerns about the rising cost of private transportation, the MNPS Superintendent has been exploring options to incentivize the use of rail as an alternative for students and staff, making it a more affordable mode of transportation.
- The growth in public-transit usage observed in the transportation sector has caught the attention of the rail industry, which might consider investing in supporting Nashville's bus services like WeGo, aiming to expand the reach of public transportation to a wider demographic.
