Nashville’s central sights sit close together, but the distance grows as you head towards neighbourhoods such as 12 South. From the Ryman Auditorium, you can combine downtown visits on foot, then use WeGo buses, direct rides or shared vehicles for journeys farther out.
Walking and transport choices
| Criterion | Walking | WeGo bus | Taxi or rideshare | BCycle e-bike | Shared scooter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Useful journeys | Nearby downtown sights | Along scheduled routes | Direct neighbourhood trips | Between docking stations | Short permitted trips |
| Charging basis | FreeBest | Ride or time-based fare | Meter or app quote | Unlock/time or pass | Unlock plus time |
| Bulky luggage | Carry it yourself | Manage it aboard | Vehicle bootBest | Unsuitable | Unsuitable |
| Sober late-evening travel | Nearby, lit streets | Within service hours | Driver availability | Docks and traffic matter | Traffic and zones matter |
A central stay does not need a rental car for nearby downtown sights, and walking is the default. The Ryman Auditorium’s performance hall and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s music collections make a compact pairing. The Gulch’s restaurants and shops lie southwest, while 12 South’s shopping and dining strip extends farther south.
| Walk | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ryman Auditorium → Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum | about 0.2 miles | about 5 minutes |
| Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum → The Gulch | about 0.8 miles | about 19 minutes |
| The Gulch → 12 South | about 2.1 miles | about three quarters of an hour |
The John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge crosses the Cumberland River on foot, connecting downtown with the east bank. Allow for slopes, uneven paving and summer heat when planning walks, especially with luggage. After nightlife, stay on well-lit streets and choose a pickup point you can reach safely.
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WeGo buses and useful stops
| Boarding stop | Line | Direction | Serves |
|---|---|---|---|
| BNA Ground Transportation Center, Level 1, Terminal Garage 2 | 18 | Downtown | WeGo Central |
| Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central | 18 | Airport | BNA |
| WeGo Central, Bay 11 | 17 | Hillsboro Village | 12 South |
For the longer journey south from downtown, Route 17 follows 12th Avenue South towards 12 South. At the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central, look for the Hillsboro Village destination display. The journey to 12 South takes about 19 minutes without a change.
- Name
- WeGo Central
- Location
- 400 Dr. M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Nashville, TN 37219 Maps
- Essential fact
- WeGo Central is the downtown bus interchange beside Municipal Auditorium.
| Route / departure point | Days | Service window | Intervals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18, both directions | Daily | 6am–6pm | Every 30 minutes |
| 18, both directions | Daily | Evenings | Every 40 minutes |
| 17, Hillsboro Transit Center → downtown | Monday–Friday | 5:10am–10:45pm | Peak 20 min / midday 30 min / evening about hourly |
| 17, Central → Hillsboro | Monday–Friday | 5:40am–11:15pm | Variable daytime / evening about hourly |
| 17, Hillsboro Transit Center → downtown | Saturday | 4:41am–10:46pm | — |
| 17, Central → Hillsboro | Saturday | 5:15am–11:15pm | — |
| 17, Hillsboro Transit Center → downtown | Sunday / holidays | 5:42am–10:42pm | — |
| 17, Central → Hillsboro | Sunday / holidays | 6:15am–11:15pm | — |
Route 18 links Nashville International Airport (BNA) with downtown. Route 17’s evening gaps make a missed bus consequential, so leave room around a dinner or show rather than arriving at the stop at the last moment. After service finishes, arrange a direct ride.
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The free Music City Circuit shuttle has been discontinued. Old Town Trolley is an operating, separately ticketed sightseeing service, not a free local trolley. Tours run daily from 9am–4pm apart from the closures above, with one-day tickets starting at $41.65 and two-day tickets at $78.
Taxis and rideshares
For a return after buses finish, request a taxi through your hotel or a taxi company, or enter your destination in Uber or Lyft and choose a ride. Being able to request a car does not mean a driver will arrive immediately. Dispatch should tell you about delays.
A short metered city ride typically costs around $15–$30 before a tip in ordinary conditions, depending on distance and traffic. Events can raise app prices and lengthen waits.
Around Lower Broadway, meet your driver in designated passenger-loading or taxi/rideshare areas. Posted curb rules govern where vehicles can stop, and barriers can close part of the entertainment district to cars. Agree a reachable pickup point rather than waiting inside a vehicle-free stretch.
BCycle e-bikes and shared scooters
- BCycle rentals
- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- BCycle access
- Age 18+, pass and unlock through BCycle app
- BCycle return
- Dock at any Nashville BCycle station
- Scooter access
- Age 18+, operator app. Lime also requires a valid driving licence
- Scooter return
- Designated corrals, marked boxes, racks or stations
Nashville BCycle e-bikes are dock-based, so an available destination dock determines where you can finish. Riders must be competent, physically fit to ride and familiar with the bike’s controls. Choose your return station before unlocking, and travel without bulky luggage.
An Errant Knight · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
Shared scooters such as Lime unlock through an app rather than a BCycle dock. Geofenced no-parking areas and special-event restrictions can affect where you ride and finish. Use the operator’s app to select permitted parking, leaving pedestrian access clear.
Both modes involve traffic rather than a protected route throughout. Ride sober and wear a helmet, and avoid roads where you feel unable to mix safely with vehicles. Lime riders must also be able to operate the scooter safely.
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Fares, passes and boarding
Bus fares and shared-vehicle charges
| Product / payment | Price | Validity / coverage |
|---|---|---|
| WeGo exact cash | $2 | One ride, no transfers |
| WeGo QuickTicket / contactless | $2 | 2 hours, unlimited local rides |
| WeGo Full Day / daily cap | $4 | All-day local buses, not regional buses or WeGo Star |
| BCycle pay per minute | $1 unlock + $0.45/min | Charged by riding time |
| BCycle 30-Minute Pass | — | One ride up to 30 min, then $10 per additional 30 min until docked |
| Lime scooter unlock | $1 | Unlock only, per-minute rates vary by area |
Count paid travel periods, not bus boardings, when choosing how to pay. With QuickTicket or contactless, connections within the fare’s time window need no separate transfer. Route 18 uses the standard local fare without an airport supplement.
The daily cap applies to QuickTicket cards and the app, contactless credit or debit cards and mobile wallets. Keep using the same card or device so your journeys count together. Cash receives no cap. BCycle’s pay-per-minute option and its separately named 30-Minute Pass are different products, while Lime’s unlock charge is only one part of the ride cost.
Buying, validating and ending a ride
Have your payment ready before stepping aboard. Exact cash goes into the farebox, while electronic payments use the validator. Keep the selected card, device or app accessible for subsequent boardings.
Do
- Buy a QuickTicket card at WeGo Central or Hillsboro Transit Center, or through Customer Care. Manage fares in the QuickTicket app.
- Tap your QuickTicket card, contactless card or mobile wallet when boarding, or scan the app’s QR code.
- Take a contactless card out of your wallet to avoid card clash.
- Before entering a taxi, look for its roof light, company decals and driver’s permit.
- Confirm docking or the app’s ride-ended message before leaving a shared vehicle.
Don’t
- Use American Express for contactless bus payment.
- Expect change, transfers or passes when paying cash aboard.
- Switch cards or devices between boardings if you want fares tracked together.
- Leave a shared vehicle without confirming the hire has ended.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges and services.
- Fare & Ticket Information – Fares | WeGo Public Transit
- FAQ | WeGo Public Transit
- Nashville BCycle — fares and charges
- Lime — fares and charges
- Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Board of Directors — fares and charges
- Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (Nashville MTA) — service
- Route 17 12th Avenue South schedule
- Nashville Airport (BNA) – Ride | WeGo Public Transit
- 17 12th Avenue South — WeGo Public Transit route schedule
- Bus Stops: Commitment Met
- Vision Zero Advisory Committee Minutes, December 9, 2025
- Old Town Trolley Tours — service
- Old Town Trolley Tours Nashville — fares and charges
- User Agreement — Nashville BCycle
- Contact us – Nashville BCycle
- How Bike Share Works – Nashville BCycle
- Transportation Licensing Commission Rules
- Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) and Transportation Licensing Commission — service
- Getting Around | Downtown Nashville
- Metropolitan Code § 6.72.220 — Duty to render service—Business requirements
- Uber and Lyft — service
- Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) — service
- Visit Nashville — service
