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Asheville Rides Transit

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Asheville Rides Transit
ART bus in downtown Asheville, 2020
Headquarters360 West Haywood Street, Asheville, North Carolina[1]
LocaleAsheville, North Carolina
Service areaBuncombe County, North Carolina
Service typeBus service, paratransit
Routes17[2]
Destinations
Stations49 Coxe Avenue, Asheville, North Carolina[4]
Fleet21[5]
Daily ridership
3,895/day approx[6]
Annual ridership
1,421,693/year approx[6]
Fuel typeDiesel, hybrid, electric
OperatorRATP Dev
Websiteridetheart.com

Asheville Rides Transit (ART) is the municipally owned operator of public transportation in Asheville, North Carolina. The agency provides service from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Monday through Saturday; and from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sundays and Holidays. The standard fare is $1.[7] The main and only station is located at 49 Coxe Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801.

History

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In 1889, Asheville opened the first electric streetcar system in North Carolina, and the second in the South. Like most streetcar systems, services were provided by private operators. By 1907, more than 3 million rides were taken per year, and the system ran north to Weaverville, North Carolina and west across the French Broad River to West Asheville. However, the system was shuttered by 1934, and in 1942 the tracks were removed, with service replaced with buses.[8] The predecessor to ART came about in 1967, when the City of Asheville purchased the White Transportation Company's equipment and franchise rights, forming the Asheville Transportation Agency.[9]

In 2009, the City of Asheville commissioned a plan for an overhaul of the transit system. The consulting team, HDR, conducted rider surveys and held several public input events. The final report recommended many changes, including adding Sunday service on the most popular routes, removing Saturday service on some routes, and ending the practice of renumbering evening routes.[3]

Route changes began to occur in conjunction with the annual "Strive Not to Drive" week, in late May 2012.[10] The plan also recommended purchasing a few new buses at a time so as to stagger the retirement dates of older buses.[3] In early 2011, several new hybrid buses entered the fleet as the first implementation of this recommendation.[11] As part of the plan, the name of ART was changed from Asheville Redefines Transit to Asheville Rides Transit.[12]

In 2026, RATP Dev was awarded the contract to manage ART.[13]

Route list

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# Route name Major destinations
N North Klondyke, Montford, Downtown, MLK, Charlotte, Grove Park
N1 North 1 ART Station, Merrimon, UNCA, Lakeshore
N2 North 2 ART Station, Merrimon, UNCA, Beaverdam
N3 North 3 ART Station, Chamber, Hillcrest
S1 South 1 ART Station, Biltmore, Hospital, Biltmore Village, London, Shiloh, Caribou, Rock Hill, Sweeten Creek
S2 South 2 ART Station, Biltmore, Hospital, Forest Hill, Kenilworth, Chunns Cove, Social Security
S3 South 3 ART Station, Asheland, McDowell, Biltmore Village, Hendersonville Road, Airport
S4 South 4 ART Station, S. French Broad, Depot, Livingston Heights, AB Tech
S5 South 5 Biltmore Avenue, Biltmore Village, Fairview Road Kohls/Walmart, Wood Ave
S6 South 6 ART Station, McDowell, Biltmore Village, Hendersonville Road, Biltmore Park
E1 East 1 ART Station, Tunnel, Asheville Mall, South Tunnel, Wal-Mart, Swannanoa River, VA
E2 East 2 ART Station, Asheville Mall, Haw Creek, Tunnel
W1 West 1 ART Station, Hilliard, Clingman, Haywood, PVA, Deaverview Area
W2 West 2 ART Station, Hilliard, Clingman, Haywood, PVA, Brevard, Tanger Outlets Asheville
W3 West 3 ART Station, Patton, Goodwill
W4 West 4 ART Station, Patton, New Leicester, Land of Sky
W5 West 5 Patton, North Louisiana, Emma
170 170 ART Station, Tunnel Rd, Warren Wilson, Swannanoa, Black Mountain

Schedule and route changes were made in January 2015.[2]

Funding

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For FY 2012-2013, ART's operating budget was $5 million.[14] The entire Transit Fund revenue is derived from three primary sources: federal and state grant funding ($2.8 million), local tax support ($1.2 million), and passenger charges.[15]

Paratransit Service

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Asheville contracts with Mountain Mobility to provide paratransit service. This service is provided within 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) of fixed ART routes and within the City of Asheville. This service is mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act.[16]

Strive Not To Drive

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Strive Not To Drive is a week-long program in the City of Asheville that promotes multimodal transit and the environment. In 2014, it included such events as a Ride of Silence, a Leadership Ride and a reduced fare promotion.

Fleet

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ART bus

ART operates a fleet of buses powered by diesel, hybrid diesel-electric, and fully electric buses made by Gillig and Proterra. In 2019, ART purchased five electric buses from Proterra, with the intention of purchasing more in the future. In 2020, they purchased electric buses from Vicinity Motor Corp.

References

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  1. ↑ "National Transit Database, Federal Transit Administration". Archived from the original on 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
  2. 1 2 "Maps & Schedules". ashevillenc.gov. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Asheville Transit Master Plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
  4. ↑ "Asheville Redefines Transit". Archived from the original on 2016-03-31. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
  5. ↑ "National Transit Database, Federal Transit Administration". Archived from the original on 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
  6. 1 2 March 2014 Asheville Transit Committee Meeting Route Statistics up to July 2013 – January 2014
  7. ↑ Asheville Redefines Transit Fares & Passes
  8. ↑ Chesky, Anne (Aug 12, 2023). "WNC History: The wild ride of Asheville streetcars, 1889-1934". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved Aug 23, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Fifty-Ninth Report of the North Carolina Utilities Commission" (PDF). North Carolina Utilities Commission. Retrieved Aug 23, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Baby Steps Toward Better Bus Service". Asheville Citizen-Times. April 7, 2012.
  11. ↑ Williams, Margaret (February 18, 2011). "Hybrid on the go: Asheville's first "green" bus hits the streets". Mountain Xpress. Archived from the original on September 2, 2025.
  12. ↑ McDaniel, Polly (2019-11-20). "ART update: Transit service improvements and schedule changes coming in the new year". The City of Asheville. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  13. ↑ Honosky, Sarah (March 26, 2026). "Asheville to see new $55M contract for bus system. What to know". USA TODAY Witness. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  14. ↑ "National Transit Database, Federal Transit Administration" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  15. ↑ "Asheville Adopted Budget 2013-2014" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  16. ↑ Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century Americans with disabilities act -- Paratransit Services
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