The Transit Authority of River City is ramping up service in and around downtown.TARC is increasing the frequency buses arrive and depart along the entire length of 4th Street in downtown Louisville.North of Central Ave, the 4th Street bus will run every 10 minutes from 6am to 9pm. South of Central, it will run every 20 minutes.The new schedule has been in effect since August 12. TARC Executive Director Barry Barker says this comes on the heels of increasing the frequency of the number 18 and 23 buses last year.“We took those two routes and made them every 15 minutes and we got a 20 percent increase in ridership out of it,” he said. “So this is, if you will, our next step in trying to improve the overall attractiveness of our service.”Barker says those three routes alone count for 40 percent of the system’s ridership. And the 4th Street route connects several key locations, like the University of Louisville, the medical center, Churchill Downs and the Iroquois Amphitheater.“We’ve heard from the U of L folks that they like it because they’ve got folks who can now take the bus and don’t have to worry about moving their car,” Barker said. “The next step is to make it so they don’t have to worry about bringing their car at all.”The 18 and 23 route service increases were paid for largely with federal funds. TARC hopes to secure federal funds for the 4th Street route as well. Barker says TARC also plans to introduce new buses, and a newer, easier fare collection system in the future.This announcement comes shortly after TARC announced several bus routes would be eliminated. Other routes have been altered, and buses will arrive less frequently.
