JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For the first time in 30 years, almost every Jacksonville Transportation Authority bus route will be new.
"It's to make buses more frequent and more direct," JTA CEO Nat Ford said.
The new routes begin Dec. 1, and JTA said all routes will be free that week.
Ford said most of the routes passed through downtown, and now some don't to allow for faster commutes. For example, route 51 from Edgewood Avenue to the south west part of town used to take as long as two hours. Now Ford said that time is cut in half.
"Riders will not have to wait at transfer stations as long with these new routes," he said.
About 40,000 riders travel by JTA bus. Now they can plan their trip using their cellphone.
ONLINE: Plan your route with JTA trip planner
Another resource is nextbus.com, which offers several features, including giving a rider the ability to check when the next bus will arrive at a certain stop as he or she waits. Also, a rider can see when buses arrive at his or her favorite bus stop.
For more information on JTA, visit jtafla.com.