'Better Bus' Is Nashville's Latest Attempt at Transit Upgrades

WeGo Public Transit has announced a new plan to improve bus public transit in the city, called Better Bus.

The new Better Bus plan is released just over three years after the initial concept for the plan that would go on to become the nMotion Transit Plan and fail at the ballot box in a controversial election as the "Let's Move Nashville" referendum.

WeGo has created a series of Story Maps to make the case for the Better Bus plan, promising longer hours of service, more frequent buses, easier transfers between routes, new station and stop upgrades, and improved access to paratransit services.

"Having endured a budget deficit, a natural disaster, and pandemic in the past year, we need funding and a concrete plan to build the better bus system our city needs," reads the Better Bus Story Maps page—any mention of Let's Move Nashville is conspicuously absent.

For increased bus frequencies, Better Bus proposes that many routes that currently run every 40 to 90 minutes will be upgraded to operate every 20 to 60 minutes. Under the proposed expanded hours of operation, more than 70 percent of riders will get 21 hours of service (4 a.m. to 1 a.m.), five days a week.

The Story Maps also solicit feedback from the public on each of the topics listed above. The Tweet by WeGo Public Transit announcing the Better Bus plan credits Nashville Mayor John Cooper for the plan.