Explore the ways that the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee has grown since its formation in 2009 by clicking through the timeline below.
Spring 2009
The Beginning
- A group of leaders from Nashville and Middle Tennessee visited Denver, Colo., as a part of the annual Leadership Study Mission, organized by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.
- The group focused on Denver’s regional transit system, and the leadership of its Transit Alliance, a model for similar groups around the nation.
- The group also learned about the newly formed Denver region Mayors Caucus which brought elected leaders of the counties and cities of the Denver area together to seek consensus on regional issues, including the development of mass transit options.
The creation of a Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee
- Inspired by the success in Denver, Nashville leaders quickly committed to the creation of both a Mayors Caucus and a Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee.
Founding Leadership
- Mayor Jo Ann Graves, City of Gallatin, became the first chairwoman of the Mayors Caucus. Charles Bone from Sumner County was the first chairman and Ed Cole from Davidson County was the first executive director of the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee.
Late 2009
Formal Establishment
- The Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee was formally established in November 2009 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Fall 2011
The Transit Citizen Leadership Academy
- The Transit Citizen Leadership Academy (TCLA) was started in August 2011 to equip leaders across the 10 counties of Middle Tennessee with information and resources they need to become thought leaders on the transit discussion.
Today
Educating, Empowering and Mobilizing
- Since its inception, the Transit Alliance has focused on building support for funding regional transit by mobilizing community leadership and educating and empowering communities to efficiently and effectively make decisions for the region.
Establishing Community Connections
- In order to inform residents of Middle Tennessee about the area’s current transit situation, the Transit Alliance has launched several ongoing community-based initiatives following its establishment.
- The Transit Citizen Leadership Academy recently held its ninth class and continues to be a strong program for educating the leaders of Middle Tennessee on the transit discussion.
- The Transit Government Leaders Conference (TGLC) launched in May, 2016, in order to educate the elected and appointed officials of Middle Tennessee about regional transit matters.
- The Transit Alliance partnered with the Nashville MTA/RTA and Cumberland Region Tomorrow to host Regional Transit Talks throughout 2016. These public meetings involved local residents from the 10 counties of Middle Tennessee in order to collect feedback on regional transit and the strategic planning process known as nMotion. The nMotion plan was formally adopted by the MTA/RTA boards in 2016.
2020
Future of the Transit Alliance
- According to the Nashville Area Metro Planning Organization, the Middle Tennessee region will grow by a million people over the next 25 years. While this growth contributes to our local economy, it will challenge our transportation infrastructure and our quality of life.
- The Transit Alliance is committed to the planning and implementation of a multimodal transit system to address the growing congestion and to sustain Middle Tennessee’s quality of life for years to come.