11 percent increase over the previous year

NASHVILLE – WeGo Public Transit provided 10.6 million rides for fiscal year 2025-2026. That’s the highest Nashville public transit ridership in 11 years. The figure is just shy of record ridership set in 2015: 10.76 million rides.

Residents and visitors took 1.1 million more rides last year, an 11 percent increase over the previous year, to get to work and school, to run errands, and to enjoy all Nashville has to offer.

"It's awesome to see this jump in ridership. Nashville is proving that when we invest in transit, people use it," said Mayor O'Connell. "Thanks to Choose How You Move, investments like expanded service and Journey Pass are removing barriers and providing real alternatives to driving alone. We're committed to keeping up this momentum and improving transportation options for Nashvillians."

Fiscal Year 2026 total ridership: 10,636,381

• WeGo local bus service (Nashville MTA): 9,810,506 up 11 percent from fiscal year 24-25
• WeGo Access service: 519,799 up two percent from fiscal year 24-25
• WeGo Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA) bus service: 158,029 up five percent from fiscal year 24-25
• WeGo Star: 148,047 up 12 percent from fiscal year 24-25

Service improvements and the Journey Pass program, both funded by Choose How You Move, have driven much of this recent growth. The WeGo Ride program, which helps employers provide affordable transportation to employees, continues to grow with nearly two million rides provided, up seven percent from fiscal year 24-25.

A notable trend is increased interest in connector and cross-town routes, taking passengers from neighborhood to neighborhood rather than downtown to transfer to another route. This is reflected in the 26 percent increase seen on crosstown and connector routes over the past year alone. Additional increases were seen on the 71 Trinity (33 percent increase) and the 75 Midtown (43 percent growth).

Transit Centers outside of the downtown core, such as Dr. Ernest “Rip” Patton, Jr. North Nashville Transit Center, help make those connections more convenient for all riders. Routes serving the Patton Center have seen a 50 percent increase in riders since the service improvements associated with the transit center's opening in 2024.

“Behind every WeGo trip is a person: someone getting to a job interview on time, a student making it to class, a grandparent visiting family across town,” said Choose How You Move Chief Program Officer Sabrina Sussman. “That’s what this ridership growth really means to Nashville, and thanks to Choose How you Move, it’s just the beginning.” 

“This is exciting news. While we missed a 37-year record by just a bit,” said MTA Nashville Chair Gail Carr Williams. “These numbers prove that investment in transit creates positive impacts in the day to day lives of Nashvillians and Middle Tennesseans.”

“These numbers prove that investment in transit creates positive impacts in the day to day lives of Nashvillians and Middle Tennesseans,” said WeGo CEO Steve Bland. “We look forward to another set of service enhancements and offerings this winter, which will continue to expand service and make transit a more competitive and convenient transportation option.”

Members of the public are encouraged to sign up for the Choose How You Move and WeGo newsletters, follow WeGo on social media, and visit WeGoTransit.com for continuous updates.

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About WeGo Public Transit
The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (Nashville MTA) and the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA) are the operating bodies of WeGo Public Transit, which serves 27 local bus routes, nine regional bus routes, and one train serving Davidson and Wilson Counties. For more information, visit WeGoTransit.com and follow WeGo on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

About Choose How You Move
Choose How You Move is Nashville's voter-approved transportation improvement program, supported by 66% of voters in 2024 and funded by a dedicated half-cent sales surcharge. As the largest capital program in Nashville's history, the $3.1 billion initiative delivers critical upgrades across all of Davidson County: smart signals at nearly 600 intersections, 54 miles of high-capacity transit with 24/7/365 service, 86 miles of new sidewalks, and safety improvements across 78 miles of the Vision Zero High-Injury Network. Whether you walk, roll, ride, bike, or drive, Choose How You Move is building a Nashville that is safer and easier to get around.