UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026

Simply put, Louisville does not prioritize public transportation. The current funding mechanism—a 0.2% occupational tax (or $2 per $1000 earned)—for the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) was established by a 1974 resolution, then approved by ballot referendum. It has not changed since 1974 despite inflation, wage stagnation, and the introduction of paratransit in the 1990s to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As a result, over the past several years, TARC has faced repeated multi-million-dollar fiscal cliffs leading to service cuts that have drastically changed routes, if not outright eliminated them.

Roughly 10% of residents in Louisville do not have access to a car. This includes workers at major employers like UPS, Amazon, GE, and Churchill Downs; students who are the next generation of our educated workforce; and the elderly and disabled on limited incomes, as well as other vulnerable communities. TARC riders are essential to the cultural and economic success of our region. Their potential and inherent value are immeasurable, and without public transit they face a future of joblessness, financial stress, lack of access to food and healthcare, and social isolation.

Car drivers also stand to benefit from a fully funded TARC. More buses and fewer cars mean safer streets and fewer traffic fatalities; more parking and less traffic; cleaner air; and more travel options if drivers no longer have access to a car or are suddenly unable to drive. We are confident that as fully-funded public transit improves and expands, increased ridership and fuller buses will follow. Not only will more non-drivers ride TARC, but drivers will discover that they no longer need to rely on their car 24/7.

We will fight for what working-class people deserve. That includes robust and reliable public transit, because freedom of movement is a fundamental human right. This means working people have the right to access fresh food, medical care, social connection, leisure, education, and living-wage jobs; even if they don’t have a car. Additionally, public transit will play a critical role in combating climate change on the local level because, nationally, taking public transportation reduces individual greenhouse gas emissions by 45% to 55% compared to driving alone.

There is a way forward—we just have to fight for it. The TARC 2025 Network Redesign, funded by a federal grant, resulted in three plans: Limited, Enhanced, and Growth. Because of TARC’s chronic inadequate funding, on August 2, 2026, the Enhanced option was implemented as the New TARC Network. Route changes and eliminations, as well as service reductions, have already negatively impacted riders across the Louisville area. They are losing jobs and access to essential services, and facing longer and more complicated commutes with excessive walking. This is unacceptable.

To fully fund the Growth plan—a clear roadmap to the future of public transit in the Louisville area—TARC needs a 0.4% increase in the occupational tax. This percentage equates to an additional $4 per $1,000 (and business net profits!) earned on top of the $2 (0.2%) Jefferson County workers already pay. To make this happen per the 1974 resolution, there is a multi-step process: 1. The TARC Board requests that Louisville Metro Council put an occupational tax increase referendum on the ballot; 2. Metro Council then votes to do so; then 3. Jefferson County voters must pass it into law. Louisville DSA has the expertise and volunteer power to knock doors and rally voters. First, we need the TARC Board and Louisville Metro Council to give voters the chance to decide the future of public transit in our region—democratically.

The Mayor, TARC Board, and Louisville Metro Council must act on this issue by 2030, when it is estimated that TARC will no longer have the funds to sustain the newly introduced New TARC network, and will have to downgrade to the austere Limited network, which would be the true beginning of the end of TARC as we know it. Riders, drivers, transit supporters, organizations, the business community, and everyone in between demand action and will settle for no less than the TARC 2025 Growth option.

Add your name to the growing list of Louisvillians who signed onto this demand letter to fund a TARC that guarantees freedom of movement FOR ALL!

Unions, Neighborhood Associations, and Organizations in the Get On The Bus Coalition
(as of September 5, 2026)

• Louisville DSA
• UofL YDSA
• ATU Local 1447
• Greater Louisville Central Labor Council
• Kentucky State AFL-CIO
• Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
• SEIU 32BJ
• IUE-CWA Local 83761
• AFSCME Local 3425
• UCW-CWA at UofL
• UFCW Local 227
• Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA)
• Portland Now
• Shelby Park Neighborhood Association
• German-Paristown Neighborhood Association
• Shawnee Neighborhood Association
• Meriweather/Fort Hill Neighborhood Association
• Old Louisville Mobility Coalition
• Louisville Metro Disability Coalition
• Ridenfaden
• Secular Student Alliance at the University of Louisville
• Center for Racial Justice at Simmons College of Kentucky
• St Stephen Baptist Church
• Association of Community Ministries
• South Louisville Community Ministries
• UofL Urban & Public Affairs Student Association
• YIMBY Louisville
• Kentuckians for Single Payer Healthcare
• UofL Sustainability Council
• Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition
• KY BLACK Action Fund
• Spalding University Collective Care Center
• Louisville Showing Up For Racial Justice
• VOCAL Kentucky
• Kentucky Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression
• Sierra Club of Greater Louisville
• St. John Center
• Coalition Forward
• Coalition for the Homeless

Learn more about the Get On The Bus campaign on our website: www.dsalouisville.org/gotb