Choose How You Move (Nashville)

Nashville's 19th-century electric streetcar system was replaced by motor buses, and in the 1970s the Metro government took over transit operations, forming the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Despite launching initiatives like the Music City Star commuter rail in 2006 and multiple bus lines, modern efforts to overhaul the system, including Mayor Karl Dean's 2011 rapid bus plan and Mayor Megan Barry's 2017 light rail proposal (Let's Move Nashville), have failed, with state politics, budget shortfalls, and local opposition contributing to the collapse of these projects A 2023 Forbes report listed Nashville as the U.S. city with the hardest commute, citing the city's poor walkability, lack of safety for bicycles, and low access to public transportation. Another 2023 report listed Nashville as the second-most dangerous city in the nation for pedestrians. In 2023, Freddie O'Connell was elected mayor of Nashville after promising increased investment in public transportation, road safety, and investments in sidewalks. After public input, foundational plans, and feedback from the Metro Council, Mayor O'Connell released his transportation improvement plan in 2024. == Transportation Improvement Plan ==

In April 2024, the O'Connell administration released its Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). Afterwards, the Davidson County Election Commission approved a referendum on a 0.5% increase in the sales tax to fund the plan, bringing the combined state and local sales tax from 9.25% to 9.75% in Davidson County. Service enhancements The program will increase the frequency of local buses, crosstown routes, and introduce four new express routes. These include 24/7 routes with shorter wait times Regional service would be expanded with improvements to the WeGo STAR commuter rail system. == Campaign ==

"For" Campaign The "For" Campaign, titled Vote FOR Nashville, is organized by Green Lights for Nashville. "Against" Campaign The "Against" campaign is led by the Committee to Stop an UnFair Tax and is focusing on handing out free yard signs. Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group which campaigned heavily against the 2017 light rail proposal, opted against participating in the 2024 referendum. Similarly, The People's Alliance for Transit, Housing and Employment, a lead anti-referendum group from 2017, chose not to organize in 2024. Endorsements == Results ==

In October 2025, within a year of the referendum passing, Mayor O'Connell announced $104 million in funding for transit projects in the Choose How You Move program. This funding included sidewalk improvement projects, smart signals to be installed at over 100 intersections, improvements to transiting to the airport, street redesigns, and WeGo improvements. WeGo and the mayor's office also rolled out a free bus fare program for qualifying low-income residents called the "Journey Pass". By January 2026, WeGo announced that they added 12 new buses to their fleet and that ridership increased 7.3% from the previous year. == References ==