JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than 400 Jacksonville residents who depend on a city bus route to get to work, buy groceries, and reach the post office could soon find themselves without their primary form of transportation.
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The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is proposing to eliminate Route 18 as part of a broader consolidation plan that would also cut three additional routes. The changes, if approved, would take effect in October.
JTA announced the proposal in a video presentation earlier this week, saying riders would be able to use the new Route 10 to travel the Atlantic Boulevard area. But for many residents who live along Kona Avenue — where Route 18 currently stops — the proposed replacement raises more questions than it answers.
‘I don’t understand how people are supposed to get where they need to go’
Karen Harrell, who lives along the Route 18 corridor, said the route has been a staple of the neighborhood for decades.
“This is the only one I know that currently comes down Kona Avenue that goes both of those ways, including downtown,” Harrell said. Families that have children rely on nothing but the bus service in this area because they have to go to work, they have to take their kids to appointments, they have to get their kids to different schools around town. So I don’t understand how people are supposed to get where they go.”
Among the top destinations served by Route 18 are Regency Square Mall, the Walmart on Monument Road, and the Monument Post Office — stops that riders say are essential to their daily lives.
The replacement route may not cover the same ground. JTA has acknowledged that Route 10 may not cover all of the areas previously served by Route 18. In its video presentation, the agency said riders needing to reach locations like the Walmart on Monument Road would need to use Route 19, with transfers available.
That solution concerns many riders, particularly those with disabilities — who say the added distance and transfer requirements create a significant barrier.
One man, who asked not to be identified on camera after recently returning home from the hospital, said the transfer option falls short for people who rely on the bus for medical and daily needs.
“It’s a walk, so you got to go to Regency to take Route 19 because 19 don’t come through here,” he said. “And people need it because you’ve got disabled people always catching the bus because it’s their only way of transportation.”
News4JAX pressed JTA directly about concerns from riders with disabilities. Cheryl Riddick, JTA’s Director of Customer Experience, said the agency has paratransit services available for eligible riders.
“JTA has several options for paratransit services that are offered,” Riddick said. “And we can work with those customers if they are not already associated with it — to check their eligibility to see if they might take advantage of some of those services, and we’d be more than happy to do that.”
Riders say paratransit eligibility requirements mean the option may not be available to everyone who currently depends on Route 18.
What comes next
The proposal is not yet final. JTA is holding a public meeting Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 5:00 PM at the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center, located at 100 LaVilla Center Drive. Riders can weigh in before a decision is made.
For the more than 400 people who ride Route 18 every day, that meeting may be their opportunity to be heard before a decision is finally made and taken into effect in October.