The 31 Crosstown was a key route for the Memphis Area Transit Authority from the 1960s to the 2010s. This route was a lifeline for many residents in the historic neighborhoods of North and South Memphis, connecting both to Midtown, and thus connecting North & South Memphis residents to jobs, health care, grocery stores and high frequency bus service to both downtown and the suburbs. The 31 connected thousands of school children to public schools such as Central, Carver and Manassas High Schools. It ran through Riverside, Soulsville, Crosstown, Smokey City, Klondyke, New Chicago, & Scutterfield, historically Black neighborhoods that currently suffer from economic distress. New Chicago and Riverview-Kansas are both nearly 100% Black with median annual incomes of $18,587 and $21,625, respectively. According to MATA’s Short-Range Transit Plan conducted by Nelson/Nygaard (as well as the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Long Range Transit Plan), the 31 Crosstown had the third highest ridership of all routes in the system, averaging over 2,500 riders a day in 2011.

Nevertheless, MATA eliminated the route in 2013, claiming that it didn’t have enough riders to justify the cost of running it. The huge gap in service that the 31 provided is visible through the continued loss of resources in areas where it ran. Schools like Northside and Carver have closed this year due to low enrollment when the 31 provided direct service to both. Meanwhile, the ongoing development of the Crosstown Concourse is creating new opportunities for jobs, education, and healthcare that are now inaccessible to places like New Chicago. Public transit is a civil right, and we must increase bus service for low income and minority residents to properly address racial and economic injustice in Memphis. As the greater metro area sees its largest job growth in 20 years, residents of North and South Memphis deserve equal access to our city.

We, the undersigned, call for the immediate restoration of the 31 Crosstown, connecting the residential areas of New Chicago and Riverview- Kansas. We demand service that is frequent, and operates through the full duration of the MATA service day. We demand ample bus shelters along the route, that are ADA accessible.

We urge the City Council, Mayor Strickland and MATA administration to allocate funding to restore this service without cuts to other bus routes, service hours or non administrative employees.

Amalgamated Transit Union 713 Memphis Bus Riders Union