[3] KAT formerly operated the transit service for the University of Tennessee, known as The T.[4] In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,332,800, or about 10,200 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

Since then, the transit system has undergone considerable changes, beginning in 1890 with the conversion from animal-drawn to electric-powered streetcars.

The bus service continued to get upgrades, with air-conditioned GMC buses added to the Knoxville transit fleet in 1972.

From the 90s onward, the KAT system continued to upgrade, with a focus on environmental responsibility, beginning its Clean Fuels Program with the introduction of propane-powered vehicles in 2003.

In 2010, the transit system again changed facilities, moving its center of operations to the John J. Duncan Jr. Knoxville Station.