Chattanooga's CARTA adds new electric buses

The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) will add three new electric shuttles utilizing $1.2 million in federal grants and the Tennessee Department of Transportation's allocation for congestion mitigation and air quality improvement projects. The three shuttles will run on free routes that serve downtown, St. Elmo, and the North Shore. The new shuttles will also replace older electric models that are 30 years old and will come with air conditioning, unlike their predecessors. The downtown route is among the most popular with stops at garages between the Chattanooga Choo Choo and Tennessee Aquarium, with a record-high ridership of 39,000 a month. The three new buses will bring CARTA’s number of electric buses to 12 with the system also running two hybrid buses in addition to diesel buses.