Purchase our $15 Express Ticket monthly pass for unlimited trips.
KATS began in 1995 to serve the citizens of Kingsport. Today, KATS has retooled bus routes to provide better and more efficient service to new and growing areas of Kingsport.
KATS operates five vehicles on fixed route service Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The system also operates four vehicles for ADA/handicapped routes passengers during the same service hours.
As Kingsport continues to grow, public transportation is growing. Kingsport's 2005 population was 44,130; the city grew by 23.5 percent between 1990 and 2000.
Kingsport is a popular tourist destination, especially for retirees. Kingsport's median age is 41.9 years, older than Tennessee's median age of 35.9 years. In fact, the largest segment of Kingsport's population is age 50 and over, at 40.6 percent of the population. As older adults are large consumers of public transportation, this indicates a strong future for public transit in this segment in Kingsport.
