Nashville bus riders are getting a summer upgrade. The Nashville MTA Board voted on April 23 to sign off on a batch of WeGo schedule changes that will shorten waits and stretch hours on several key routes starting July 5. The shakeup is aimed at speeding up the airport line, adding more trips on busy corridors and pushing later service out to Skyline, with riders expected to see tighter gaps on major routes and expanded WeGo Link coverage around certain schools and neighborhoods. City officials say the changes are paid for through the Choose How You Move transportation program.
According to WSMV, the April 23 vote locked the plan in and officially set July 5 as the launch date for WeGo’s Summer 2026 overhaul. The outlet reports that the decision clears the way for a round of systemwide schedule and routing adjustments that WeGo first floated earlier in April.
As laid out by WeGo Public Transit, the biggest headline is shorter waits on two heavily used lines. Route 18 (Airport) will run every 30 minutes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week, then every 40 minutes in the evenings. That is a notable bump from the current 45 to 55 minute gaps during the day and roughly hourly service at night. Route 34 (Opry Mills) will also get a boost, shifting from hourly buses to service about every 30 to 40 minutes.
Local coverage points to several fine-tuned route tweaks designed to keep trips running more smoothly. WeGo plans to add trips on routes 76 (Madison) and 79 (Skyline), with Skyline service extended to about 10 p.m. The package also includes schedule adjustments tied to Creswell Middle Magnet and other school bell times, plus an expansion of the South Nashville and Bellevue WeGo Link zones to reach Overton High School and parts of West Meade, WSMV reports.
“We’re making transit faster, better, and more reliable with every expansion funded by Choose How You Move,” Mayor Freddie O’Connell said in WeGo’s news release. He framed the airport upgrades in particular as a direct help to Nashvillians who depend on airport jobs and shift work. Agency officials are urging riders to review updated schedules before July 5 and are steering people to WeGo’s online timetables and the Customer Information Window at WeGo Central for route-by-route details.
Funding and broader context
The summer service boost is funded through Nashville’s voter-approved Choose How You Move program, a half-cent sales surcharge that backs transit, sidewalks, smart traffic signals and other street safety projects. The city’s program page outlines the initiative’s goals along with some of the early investments that are making transit expansions possible. For more background on the overall plan and spending priorities, see Nashville.gov.
What riders should know
All changes go live on July 5, so riders are encouraged to look over new timetables ahead of that date and give crews a few weeks to finish adjusting schedules and stop signage. For detailed maps and stop-level times, riders can check WeGo’s schedule pages or visit the Customer Information Window at the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central. Transit staff say they will continue holding outreach events as the summer rollout moves forward.
