The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) is the mass transit provider for Chattanooga, Tennessee and its vicinity. Public transportation first appeared on the streets of Chattanooga on September 4, 1875, utilizing horse-drawn trollies. The two main routes followed Market Street and East Ninth Street (now Martin Luther King Boulevard). In 1889, the trolleys were replaced with electric streetcars. With the advent of the internal combustion engine, buses began to appear more frequently. In 1941, Southern Coach Lines took over the public transit operations, and the last streetcar ran in 1946.

City control

In 1973, the City of Chattanooga purchased the assets of the former Southern Coach Lines, and formed the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority. CARTA operates 15 bus routes, trimmed down from 30, as some routes have been consolidated or eliminated. Since 1992, CARTA has operated a free downtown shuttle bus service, utilizing electric buses, which runs between the Chattanooga Choo Choo (the former Terminal Station) and the Tennessee Aquarium. Public parking is available at both locations. CARTA owns and operates the historic Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, which ascends from the St. Elmo neighborhood to the town of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee as well as the Chattanooga Parking Authority. CARTA also provides paratransit van services, called CARTA Care-A-Van.

List of routes

Fares

, fares rates for their respectable services are: Fixed Routes - +Medicare card is accepted as proof of eligibility for the CARTA Special Fare ID Card. CARTA Care-A-Van - Specials -