TARC to reduce services, suspend some routes, due to coronavirus threat

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) has announced service reductions, including the temporary suspension of some routes, to help prevent the potential spread of the novel coronavirus.

Beginning Friday, the University of Louisville campus shuttle (Route No. 94), Second Street/airport service (Route No. 02) and the LouLife circulator (Routes Nos. 01 and 77) will suspend service until further notice, the company announced Wednesday in a news release.

The Riverport circulator (Route No. 20), Preston Highway service (Route No. 28), Health Sciences Center Campus circulator (Route No. 96) and UPS service (Routes Nos. 93 and 99) are the only routes that will continue to operate as normal. TARC3, the company's paratransit service, will also operate on normal hours.

All other routes will operate on their Saturday service schedules from Monday through Saturday "until further notice," TARC officials said. All routes will run on their normal Sunday schedules. TARC will be monitoring ridership on its most popular routes and may add buses when necessary "to practice the importance of social distancing and crowd reduction," TARC officials said in the news release. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines, TARC said all of its fixed-route buses and TARC3 vehicles are being cleaned and sanitized daily.

“We provide a crucial service to the community and we take that responsibility seriously," TARC co-Executive Director Laura Douglas said in the news release. "We want to continue to serve that role as effectively as possible with the health and safety of both our passengers and our team members top-of-mind."

These reductions may not be immediately reflected on TARC's online trip planner or its mobile app, the company said, and additional reductions in service may be needed as the outbreak develops.