The Chattanooga Shuttle: the Easiest Way to Get Around Downtown

Skip the hassles with parking and rental cars.  The Chattanooga shuttle offers all day service downtown.  Best of all, it’s free!

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Is it seriously free?

Yes!  The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) has had this free service as part of the local public transit system since 1992.  It was initially meant as a way to alleviate cars and traffic in downtown.  On top of that, this is an entire fleet of electric buses. 

Since it’s free all you have to do is hop on.  Just make sure to pull the cord to request your stop.  Although, if the bus is empty, there’s a good chance the driver will ask where you’re going. 

Where to pick up the Chattanooga downtown shuttle

There are roughly 18 stops on Route 33 (downtown electric shuttle) between the north and south shuttle park.  The shuttle park north is about 2 blocks south of the Tennessee Aquarium, and the shuttle park south is next to the Chattanooga Choo Choo. 

The route runs along Broad Street, then does a little loop before turning down Market Street.  You can find stops about every 1-2 blocks.  In the central loop, these stops will serve both north and southbound buses, so make sure to check which direction it is going.  Otherwise, on Broad and Market, there will be separate north and southbound bus stops. 

There are Chattanooga free shuttle maps posted at the bus stops. 

What if I don’t know which stop to get off at?

Lucky for you, this is the south and the bus drivers are REAL friendly.  For my trip to Chattanooga I ended up coming in a day earlier than expected, because that’s when I could get a ride with my friend.  I booked a room at the Hotel Bo for one night then moved over to the La Quinta, which was closer to the conference I was attending.  

Lucky for me, there is a stop just outside the Hotel Bo, and the bus showed up right as I was walking up.  Since I had a suitcase and backpack the driver checked that I wasn’t trying to get to the airport.  I let him know I needed to get to the La Quinta, and he made sure I knew when and where to get off. 

Ready my Hotel Bo review and La Quinta Chattanooga review.

There were a number of times when I was the only person on the bus.  If that happens to you, just know there’s a good chance the drivers will be ready to chit chat.  

Additional free bus routes in Chattanooga

The free Chattanooga shuttle service is route 33, however there are four other free bus routes in the city.   These are the 2 (North Shore), 14 (Mocs Express), 15 (St Elmo / Incline), and 34 (North Shore Express). The 2 and 34 cross the river into the North Shore, but the 34 (North Shore Express) only runs Thursday – Sunday from 11am – 7pm. 

If you want to visit the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, the #15 will get you there for free Monday – Saturday 8am – 10pm, and Sundays 8am – 830pm. 

The #14 Mocs Express route is dedicated to serving the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Campus. 

Chattanooga shuttle schedule

This free shuttle service runs every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.  It runs on a limited schedule for other holidays. 

The daily schedule is as listed below:

• Monday – Friday: 6:30am – 11:00pm
• Saturday: 9:30am – 11:00pm
• Sunday: 9:30am – 8:30pm

Chattanooga shuttle timetable

How often does it run? 

While the signs at the bus stops say “about every 5 minutes” that was not my experience.  I’d say expect closer to 10 minutes between shuttles.  Sometimes you’ll get lucky and it shows up right away, or there might be a few back to back.  But you should plan to be a little patient. It is free afterall.