Популярность спецслужбы CARTA Care-a-Van достигла рекордных показателей, приближаясь к пределу пропускной способности

CARTA officials said its Care-a-Van service achieved its highest passengers per hour for the fourth month in a row. It has increased by 46 percent over the last two years. Care-a-Van service is available to those who, due to injury, illness or functional incapacity, cannot use the fixed routes. Officials said, "With record-breaking ridership, Care-a-Van continues to focus on balancing service quality and managing overtime." Care-a-Van served 2.16 passengers per hour in July, which is an 83 percent increase over the last two years. Charles Frazier, CARTA president and CEO, said, "CARTA has implemented several pragmatic steps to maintain service quality and balance this increased demand with capacity. "Starting Aug. 23, Care-a-Van driver shifts moved to five eight-hour days from four 10-hour days, which ensures a smoother transition between shifts and better coverage throughout the day." He said CARTA also hired an additional Care-a-Van driver and is in the process of hiring more. The fare to use Care-a-Van is $3 within city limits and $3.50 to/from Red Bank or East Ridge.  CARTA Board Chairman Johan de Nysschen said with Care-a-Van "we are beginning to approach the limit of our capacity" with current funding. He said the service demands show that Care-a-Van "is a real and pressing need in our community." The board chairman said the situation with full capacity at Care-a-Van is causing "a negative impact on our overall service." He added, "We cannot continue to run the system to the breaking point and not expect it to break." Officials also said that Incline ridership continues increasing year-over-year since reopening in July 2025 after a damaging woods fire. And, overall system-wide ridership increased by 11 percent year-over-year. Incline ridership increased from 31,538 in July 2025 to 58,644 in July 2026, representing an 85 percent year-over-year increase. CARTA system-wide ridership rose from 151,096 in July 2025 to 167,737 in July 2026 - an 11 percent year-over-year increase.