From midnight movie outings to delivering supplies to the unhoused: One bus rider’s hopes for Nashville transit

John Bull hasn’t driven since 2019.

Instead, the 77-year-old relies almost entirely on the bus system to get around Nashville. Every day, he rides to a nearby park for a morning run. And, depending on the day, he might next go to get groceries, attend a Metro Council meeting, or see a movie at the Belcourt.

More: WPLN’s transit ridealong series

Bull is such a prolific rider that there’s a blurb about him in the official referendum document (see PDF page 37). He’s excited about the plan, which he says would allow him to attend events outside of WeGo’s current operation hours — like movies that show at midnight.

Currently, even the city’s most frequent bus routes don’t run between 1 and 4:30 a.m. The referendum would increase 14 routes to 24/7 service.

Even beyond his own desires, Bull has seen what around-the-clock service would mean for Nashville’s workers. He remembers sitting at Coleman Park on a Sunday: “And here’s this gal who had been working some night shift and she had been waiting two hours for the bus because it’s not running 24/7,” Bull said. “We need to do better.”

Bull also feels like other people — particularly people who are unhoused — stand to benefit from transit upgrades. For years, he’s dedicated much of his time to homelessness outreach, bringing basic necessities, Narcan and bus passes to people in need.

“If you’re not going to be able to provide even transitional housing, you got to have the bus passes,” Bull said. “You got to get them people out of the rain or out of the cold.”

So while John is pushing for a transit system that would allow him to catch his midnight movies, he’s also hoping for one that would help those who need it even more.

Listen to the story above to accompany John for one of his morning rides and hear from some of the people he’s met while riding. This story is part of a series highlighting how people use Nashville’s transit system. Visit WPLN.org/transit for more explanatory stories about the transit referendum.

Cynthia Abrams WPLN News

John Bull rides the bus to Coleman Park every morning, where he runs and photographs the sunrise.