All five Cleveland Urban Area Transit System bus routes are now being served by new buses with a new paint scheme.
The new buses carry 12 passengers each plus two wheel chairs. In a few weeks, each new bus will have bicycle racks that can carry two bikes.
Buses for the city routes are provided through the Southeast Tennessee Human Resources Agency.
Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis and Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland made the announcement along with SETHRA Assistant Director Chris Kleehammer, CUATS Director Mary Lynn Brown and CUATS Road Supervisor Ted Smith.
The new buses are all white with black lettering. The designated route is displayed on an illuminated sign on the side of each bus as well as on the front. The new look is designed to avoid confusion with CUATS' medical buses which take passengers to and from local medical offices and facilities. Medical buses will continue to have red and blue stripes, Mr. Smith said.
Each route leaves the CUATS depot on Edwards Street on the hour from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Three routes, the orange, green and gold routes, converge at Bradley Square Mall behind the Kmart on the half hour then begin their return route to the depot. Two routes, the red and blue routes, converge at the south Cleveland Walmart.
Passengers can board at either location or flag a bus to stop, provided it is at a safe location to do so. Full fare with transfer is $1. A list of fares, including seniors and students, is available at rideclevelandtransit.org.
While bus service has been available since 1973, the city fixed routes began ten years ago, Ms. Brown said. Ridership has grown steadily over the years. The 2015-2016 year had a 3.9 percent increase over the 2014-2015 year.