Charlotte Area Transit System
Encyclopedia
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 24, 2007.
Carolyn Flowers is the system's current chief executive. Prior to her arrival in January 2010, Mrs. Flowers was the Chief Operating Officer of the LACMTA
.
, with service in Charlotte, Davidson
, Huntersville
, Cornelius
, Matthews
, Pineville
, and Mint Hill
.
CATS operates local routes within the city of Charlotte, with the majority of those multiple-stop routes serving the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown. While crosstown service is scarce, other routes that do not serve Uptown mainly connect directly between LYNX rail stations and outlying neighborhoods. The transit system has since built three more transit centers to serve different parts of the city in the mid-2000's: the Eastland Community Transit Center in East Charlotte located near the now-closed Eastland Mall
, the SouthPark Community Transit Center in South Charlotte located inside the parking garage of South Park Mall, and the Rosa Parks
Community Transit Center in North Charlotte located near Johnson C. Smith University
.
Express buses in the CATS system serve Union County
, Concord
, Gastonia
, 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 service uses vintage replica trolleys and has a historic car, CAR 85 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. Trolley service was discontinued on June 28, 2010.
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 transports over 80,000 weekday riders across all of its services. Ridership for Fiscal Year 2010 reached over 24 million riders, a yearly amount not experienced in Charlotte since the late 1940s.
CATS operates 501 buses, vans, rail cars and trolleys in its fleet. The transit system is the largest in operation between Atlanta, Georgia
(MARTA
) and Washington, D.C.
(Metro).
CATS, in conjunction with NCDOT
, operate an HOV lane
on the expressway portion of Independence Boulevard. The HOV lane has been in operation since 1998.
from the Atherton Mill station to the 7th Street station.
Subsequently expected to open is a light rail extension to the northeast. It will run from the current terminus at 7th street in Uptown to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
. The corridor will be 9 miles (14.4 km) long, with 11 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 (the NFL team is the Carolina Panthers
and the NBA team is the Charlotte Bobcats
); also, "Lynx" is a homophone
of "links", and was mainly chosen because the light rail is about "connectivity."
The rapid rail cars will be black, silver and blue (the colors of the Carolina Panthers). 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
.
The light rail system, developed by Michael Kozak of the state's Department of Transportation, will be the only commuter rail system in the two Carolinas.
A commuter rail line is also planned. It will go from Uptown to the northern suburbs of Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville.
A 10-mile modern Streetcar route is also planned, running from Rosa Parks Community Transit Center, through Uptown Charlotte, down Central Avenue and terminating at Eastland Community Transit Center. A Federal Urban Circulator Grant was awarded in July 2010, allowing construction of the first 1.5-mile segment between the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown and Presbyterian Hospital on Elizabeth Avenue.
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 may be a light rail line and the West Corridor to the airport could either be a BRT or streetcar line.
Source: CATS 2010 Annual Report, National Transit Database'
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, USA. It operates bus service around the Metrolina area and a historical trolley in Uptown Charlotte, and operates a light rail system, called LYNX
LYNX Rapid Transit Services
Lynx Rapid Transit Services comprises a light rail line serviced by the Charlotte Area Transit System in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
which opened on November 24, 2007.
Carolyn Flowers is the system's current chief executive. Prior to her arrival in January 2010, Mrs. Flowers was the Chief Operating Officer of the LACMTA
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...
.
History
Bus transportation was provided by the Charlotte Department of Transportation under the branding known as Charlotte Transit, which was in existence from 1976 to 1999. (Charlotte Transit is not to be confused with Charlotte Area Transit System despite the similarity in name.) Most routes were local, with virtually no express service to outlying areas with the exception of two express routes. But as Charlotte was on the way to being one of the fastest growing cities since the 1980s well into today, service became inadequate to serve the rapidly growing population alongside the city annexing especially toward the south and east portions which are now being built up as of the 1990s. So a referendum was passed in 1998 by Mecklenburg County citizens to approve a 1/2% sales tax to improve public transportation over the next few years. The move created the Metropolitan Transit Commission in 1999 to oversee improvements in Charlotte and nearby suburbs and bordering counties. It eventually led to consolidation of Charlotte Transit and MTC in 2000, forming the new Charlotte Area Transit System. Since then, more express routes were added to the edges of Mecklenburg County and some local bus service was expanded, especially to the fast-growing South Charlotte. On August 19, 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 CarolinaMecklenburg County, North Carolina
-Air:The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte.- Intercity rail :With twenty-five freight trains a day, Mecklenburg is a freight railroad transportation center, largely due to its place on the NS main line between Washington and Atlanta...
, with service in Charlotte, Davidson
Davidson, North Carolina
Davidson is a town in Mecklenburg County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 7,139 at the 2000 census. It is home to Davidson College...
, Huntersville
Huntersville, North Carolina
Huntersville is a large town in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 46,773 at the 2010 census, which makes Huntersville the 19th largest city in North Carolina. It is located about 12 miles north of uptown Charlotte. It is thought that the town...
, Cornelius
Cornelius, North Carolina
Cornelius is a town located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 11,969 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cornelius is located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County...
, Matthews
Matthews, North Carolina
Matthews is a large suburban town of Charlotte located in southeastern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The population was 27,198 according to the 2010 Census.- Geography :Matthews is located at ....
, Pineville
Pineville, North Carolina
Pineville is a suburban town in the southernmost portion of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina situated in the Waxhaws district between Charlotte, North Carolina and Rock Hill, South Carolina....
, and Mint Hill
Mint Hill, North Carolina
Mint Hill is a suburban town in southeastern Mecklenburg and northwestern Union counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, it is a major suburb on the outskirts of Charlotte and near the Cabarrus County line...
.
CATS operates local routes within the city of Charlotte, with the majority of those multiple-stop routes serving the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown. While crosstown service is scarce, other routes that do not serve Uptown mainly connect directly between LYNX rail stations and outlying neighborhoods. The transit system has since built three more transit centers to serve different parts of the city in the mid-2000's: the Eastland Community Transit Center in East Charlotte located near the now-closed Eastland Mall
Eastland Mall (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Eastland Mall was a shopping mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. The center opened in 1975 as the then-largest mall in North Carolina with three anchor department stores, Belk, J.C. Penney and Ivey's, and a Sears store joined four years later. Burlington Coat Factory, the mall's final anchor, has...
, the SouthPark Community Transit Center in South Charlotte located inside the parking garage of South Park Mall, and the Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
Community Transit Center in North Charlotte located near Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith University is a private, co-ed, four-year liberal arts institution of higher learning located in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. JCSU is also a historically black college...
.
Express buses in the CATS system serve Union County
Union County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 123,677 people, 43,390 households, and 34,278 families residing in the county. The population density was 194 people per square mile . There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of 72 per square mile...
, Concord
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
, Gastonia
Gastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is also the third largest suburb of the Charlotte Area, behind Concord and Rock Hill. The population was 71,226 as of Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina,...
, and Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fourth-largest city in the state. It is also the third-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte and Concord, North Carolina. The population was 71,459 as of . Rock Hill has undergone rapid growth between...
.
Within uptown Charlotte, there is a heritage trolley, the Charlotte Trolley
Charlotte Trolley
The Charlotte Trolley is a heritage streetcar which operates in Charlotte in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The line runs along the former Norfolk Southern right of way between Tremont Avenue in the Historic South End in a northerly direction to its terminus at 9th Street Uptown...
. The 2-mile trolley route shares much of its right-of-way with the light-rail line (see below). The trolley service uses vintage replica trolleys and has a historic car, CAR 85 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. Trolley service was discontinued on June 28, 2010.
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 transports over 80,000 weekday riders across all of its services. Ridership for Fiscal Year 2010 reached over 24 million riders, a yearly amount not experienced in Charlotte since the late 1940s.
CATS operates 501 buses, vans, rail cars and trolleys in its fleet. The transit system is the largest in operation between Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
(MARTA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...
) and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(Metro).
CATS, in conjunction with NCDOT
North Carolina Department of Transportation
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-History:...
, operate an HOV lane
High-occupancy vehicle lane
In transportation engineering and transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane is a lane reserved for vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers...
on the expressway portion of Independence Boulevard. The HOV lane has been in operation since 1998.
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 - Circulator routes in North Mecklenburg and Matthews/Mint Hill that will deviate for pick ups up to 3/4 of a mile from the route with advanced notice.
- 200-299 - community circulator routes
- 501 - LYNX Blue Line
Full Route List
- 1 Mt. Holly Rd.
- 2 Ashley Park
- 3 The Plaza
- 4 Country Club
- 5 Sprinter-Airport
- 6 Kings Dr.
- 7 Beatties Ford
- 8 Tuckaseegee Road
- 9 Central Ave.
- 10 West Blvd.
- 11 North Tryon
- 12 South Blvd.
- 13 Nevin Rd.
- 14 Providence Rd.
- 15 Randolph Rd.
- 16 South Tryon
- 17 Commonwealth Ave.
- 18 Selwyn Ave.
- 19 Park Rd.
- 20 Sharon Rd.
- 21 Double Oaks
- 22 Graham St.
- 23 Shamrock Dr.
- 24 Nations Ford
- 25 Clanton Rd./Midtown
- 26 Oaklawn Ave.
- 27 Monroe Rd.
- 29 UNCC/Southpark
- 30 Woodlawn Crosstown
- 34 Freedom Dr.
- 39 Eastway Dr.
- 40X Albemarle Rd. Express
- 41X Steele Creek Express
- 42 Carowinds
- 43 Ballantyne
- 44 Fort Mill
- 45X Carmel Rd. Express
- 48X Huntersville Express
- 51X Idlewild Rd. Express
- 53X Northlake Express
- 54X University Research Park Express
- 55 Westinghouse
- 56 Arrowood
- 57 Archdale/South Park
- 58 Pineville
- 60 Tyvola/South Park
- 61X Arboretum Express
- 62X Rea Rd. Express
- 64X Independence Blvd. Express
- 65X Matthews Express
- 74X Union County Express
- 77X North Mecklenberg Express
- 79x Concord Mills Express (Saturday Service)
- 80X Concord Express
- 82X Downtown Rock Hill Express
- 84 Gold Rush Orange Line
- 85X Gastonia Express
- 86 Gold Rush Red Line
- 88X Mountain Island Express
- 94 Mint Hill-Matthews Shuttle
- 97 Cornelius
- 98 McCoy Rd.
- 99 Huntersville
- 201 Garden City
- 204 LaSalle
- 211 Hidden Valley
- 221 East Harris/Idlewild Rd.
- 222 Pence Rd.
- 232 Grier Heights
- 235 Jackson Park
- 501 Light Rail - Lynx Blue Line
Fares (one way)
- One way, local -$1.75
- One way, express (within Mecklenburg county) -$2.40
- One way, express (neighboring counties) -$3.50
- One way, village rider -70¢
- Weekly pass - $17.50
- Local monthly pass -$70.00
- Express monthly pass- $93.00
- Express plus monthly pass - $140
- Senior/ADA local monthly pass -$35.00
- Senior/ADA eXpress monthly pass -$46.50
- Senior/ADA eXpress plus monthly pass-$70.00
- Youth/Student ID - 85¢
Rail transit - LYNX
On November 24, 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 TrolleyCharlotte Trolley
The Charlotte Trolley is a heritage streetcar which operates in Charlotte in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The line runs along the former Norfolk Southern right of way between Tremont Avenue in the Historic South End in a northerly direction to its terminus at 9th Street Uptown...
from the Atherton Mill station to the 7th Street station.
Subsequently expected to open is a light rail extension to the northeast. It will run from the current terminus at 7th street in Uptown to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte , also known as UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte, is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
. The corridor will be 9 miles (14.4 km) long, with 11 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 (the NFL team is the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
and the NBA team is the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
); also, "Lynx" is a homophone
Homophone
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
of "links", and was mainly chosen because the light rail is about "connectivity."
The rapid rail cars will be black, silver and blue (the colors of the Carolina Panthers). 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
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
.
The light rail system, developed by Michael Kozak of the state's Department of Transportation, will be the only commuter rail system in the two Carolinas.
A commuter rail line is also planned. It will go from Uptown to the northern suburbs of Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville.
A 10-mile modern Streetcar route is also planned, running from Rosa Parks Community Transit Center, through Uptown Charlotte, down Central Avenue and terminating at Eastland Community Transit Center. A Federal Urban Circulator Grant was awarded in July 2010, allowing construction of the first 1.5-mile segment between the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown and Presbyterian Hospital on Elizabeth Avenue.
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transitBus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
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
Charlotte/Douglas International Airport
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a joint civil-military public international airport located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 1935 as Charlotte Municipal Airport, in 1954 the airport was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport after former Charlotte mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr...
; however, the SE Corridor may be a light rail line and the West Corridor to the airport could either be a BRT or streetcar line.
2002-2010 Financial and Ridership Data
- 2010
- Passenger trips: 24,355,191
- 2009
- Passenger trips: 26,034,078
- 2008
- Passenger trips: 23,199,350
- 2007
- Passenger trips: 19,757,737
- 2006
- Passenger trips: 19,156,590
- 2005
- Passenger trips: 17,773,753
- 2004
- Passenger trips: 20,875,635
- 2003
- Passenger trips: 18,888,550
- 2002
- Passenger trips: 16,587,199
- 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%
Source: CATS 2010 Annual Report, National Transit Database'