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Charlotte Area Transit System

The Charlotte Area Transit System, commonly referred to as CATS, is the public transit system in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It operates bus service around the Metrolina area and a historical trolley in Uptown Charlotte, and operates a light rail system, called LYNX which opened on November 24th, 2007.

Keith Parker is the head of CATS, replacing Ronald J. Tober in late 2007. On August 19th, 2007 the Charlotte Observer revealed that mass transit on Charlotte's existing bus-only system has increased ridership by 66% since 1998, but its operating budget had increased by 170% after adjusting for inflation.

Bus/trolley service

CATS bus service serves Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, with service in Charlotte, Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius, Matthews, Pineville, and Mint Hill.

Express buses in the CATS system serve Union County, Lincoln County, Concord, Gastonia, and Mooresville, North Carolina, and Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Within uptown Charlotte, there is a heritage trolley, the Charlotte Trolley. The 2-mile trolley route shares much of its right-of-way with the light-rail line (see below). The trolley uses a vintage car, the only remaining original electric trolley car in operation in Charlotte, and is operated between the non-profit organization, Charlotte Trolley Inc., and the City of Charlotte.

CATS also operates the Special Transportation Service (STS) which provides transportation to people with disabilities certified as eligible based on the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. STS provides service during the same times and in the same locations as the fixed route bus service.

The CATS system experienced an all time high during February 2008, when riders took more than 2 million trips on its services; an average of 79,000 daily rides. Not since the late 1940s has ridership surpassed 2 million in a month.

CATS operates 200 buses in the fleet. The transit system is the largest in operation between Atlanta, Georgia (MARTA) and Washington, D.C. (Metro).

Route Designations

1-89 - local routes in various areas of the city
40X-89X - express routes (specifically designated with an X) from downtown to various park and ride lots
90-99 - North Mecklenburg circulator routes
200-299 - community circulator routes

Fares ($)

One way, local - 1.30
One way, express (within Mecklenburg county) - 1.75
One way, express (neighboring counties) - 2.60
One way, village rider - 0.60
Weekly pass - 13.00
Monthly pass - 52.00
Express monthly pass - 70.00
Express plus monthly pass - 104.00

Fares are scheduled to increase on October 6, 2008

Rail transit - LYNX

On November 24th, 2007, the first light rail line—a 9.6-mile (15.5-km) line known as the Lynx Blue Line— opened. It runs between Uptown Charlotte and stops short of Pineville, using a railroad right-of-way paralleling South Boulevard in its entirety. The line has 15 stations. It shares trackage with the Charlotte Trolley from the Atherton Mill station to the 7th Street station. Subsequently expected to open is a light rail line to the northeast. It will open in phases, with the first phase to reach 36th Street in 2013 and the second phase to reach I-485, at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, in 2018. The corridor will be 14 miles (22.4 km) long, with 14 stations.

On February 22, 2006, the Charlotte Area Transit System announced that its rapid rail lines will be called the "Lynx." (Lynx system map) The name fits in with the city’s cat theme (NFL team is Carolina Panthers; NBA team is Charlotte Bobcats, as well "Lynx" was mainly chosen because the light rail is about "connectivity."

The rapid rail cars will be black, silver and blue Gold will appear around the "Lynx" logo to tie in the history of the Charlotte region being home to the first major U.S. Gold Rush.

A commuter rail line is also planned. It will go from Uptown to the northern suburbs of Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville.

Modern streetcars are also planned, with a circulator route around uptown as well as routes radiating out of downtown.

Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit is also being examined by CATS for corridors. It was originally slated to be on the Southeast Corridor to Matthews and the West Corridor to the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport; however, the SE Corridor is expected to be a light rail line and the West Corridor to the airport could either be a BRT or streetcar line.

2002-2004 Financial and Ridership Data

2002
: Passenger trips: 16,587,199

2003
: Passenger trips: 18,888,550

2004
: Passenger trips: 20,875,635

2002-2004:
: Ridership increased 13.8%

1997-2005: Service Consumption Versus Costs: (costs adjusted for inflation at 3.5% per year)
: Ridership(unlinked trips): +52%
: Operational cost per passenger trip: +66%
: Operational cost per vehicle mile: +6%
: Operational cost per vehicle hour: +16%