IMPACT OF THE 1977 TRANSIT STRIKE IN KNOXVILLE

The six-week strike from February 14 to March 28, 1977, of the Knoxville Transit Corporation (KTC) stranded 7000-8000 daily riders of regular bus routes and 600 daily riders of the express bus service. It also provided an opportunity to assess the impact of a temporary interruption of public transportation service on a city of 200,000 people. Small sample surveys performed during and alter the strike focused on those groups expected to be most severely affected. The study revealed that, although many discretionary tips of elderly and economically disadvantaged transit users were not taken, few cases of severe hardship were reported. Most individuals were able to satisfy their needs with the help of relatives, friends, and social service agencies. Many of the downtown merchants lost substantial business, and some were forced to temporarily lay off sales personnel. The transit system itself felt the most adverse and continuing impact from the strike. The decline in ridership on the regular routes was estimated to range from 7.2 to 16 percent; for express buses the ridership droped by approximately 15 percent. The adverse impact on downtown parking was noticeable, but general traffic was not affected appreciably. Overall, everyone involved with public transportation--the city, labor union, transit users, and downtown merchants--would have been better off by averting the strike.