With free wifi now on all Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) buses, a brand new website going live today, and a new text messaging feature for passenger information, there’s never been a better time to use transit in Knoxville, and Try Transit Week provides a great opportunity to do just that. Below is a list of events that will showcase transit in Knoxville:

Monday, June 19th : Explore online. Dip your toes in transit by exploring our new website at katbus.com. The new website features a number of great new communications tools, including interactive maps showing every stop, an improved responsive page for better use with a variety of devices, and an opportunity to sign up for text or email alerts by route, so you can always know immediately when a route is on detour. You can also still plan your trip using the Google Trip Planner function.

Tuesday, June 20th: Trolley Tuesday. The trolleys offer free, short explorations of downtown with frequent service so it’s easy to just hop on and try it out. As an added incentive, we’ll be hiding prizes in the trolleys all day long, so be on the lookout as you ride. 

Wednesday, June 21st: The BIG announcement. KAT, along with Mayor Madeline Rogero, have a big announcement to make, and it’s happening on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. at Knoxville Station. Before or after the announcement, take the Blue Line Trolley over to The Market Square Farmers’ Market, where KAT and Smart Trips will have a booth and will be giving away lots of great items.

Thursday, June 22nd: It’s a Social Thing. Check out KAT on Social Media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) for a chance to win prizes. Revisit the Google Transit Trip Planner on the website to prepare yourself for Friday.

Friday, June 23rd: FREE RIDES FRIDAY! All rides on KAT will be fare-free all day Friday.

Saturday, June 24th: Neighborhood Group Rides to the Farmers’ Market. Grab your neighbors and take KAT down to the Market Square Farmers’ Market. Visit the KAT booth and we’ll give you all a free ticket back home, along with some other goodies.

“Many people want to take transit - even just a few times a week - but they may be intimidated to try it for the first time,” says Dawn Distler, Director of Transit for the City of Knoxville. “We’ve created this week to provide that opportunity to learn about it and try it out with a lot of other people, whether it’s Free Rides Friday or grabbing your neighbors for a group ride. We think everyone will agree with us that there are enormous benefits to using transit.”