Charlotte Area Transit System

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is the organization that takes care of public transportation in the Charlotte metropolitan area. It was started in 1999 and runs buses and trains for people in Mecklenburg County and nearby places. CATS is managed by a group called the Metropolitan Transit Commission and works as part of the City of Charlotte.

By 2025, many people were using CATS every day. In fact, about 56,200 people rode the buses and trains each weekday during the last part of that year. This shows just how important CATS is for helping people get around the city easily.

History

Origins

Before 1976, Charlotte had private buses and trolleys. In 1976, the city started its own bus service called Charlotte Transit. As the city grew, the buses weren’t enough. In 1998, people voted to raise taxes a little to help improve buses. This led to creating the Charlotte Area Transit System, or CATS, in 2000.

2000–2006: early years

After CATS started, more bus routes were added, especially to the south. New bus centers were built in different parts of the city. Because of these changes, more people started using the buses.

2006–2015: the advent of rail

Planning began for a train called the Lynx Blue Line. It opened in 2007, connecting many parts of the city and helping new buildings grow up. Later leaders kept working on more train and streetcar lines, even during tough economic times.

2015–present: further expansion

In 2015, a streetcar line called the CityLynx Gold Line opened. More train lines were added, like one going to the university. Plans are now for a big train line called the Lynx Silver Line, which will go from Matthews through the city center to the airport and beyond, opening around 2030.

Bus

Main article: List of Charlotte Area Transit System bus routes

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) runs bus services for people in Mecklenburg County and nearby places like Charlotte, Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius, Matthews, Pineville, and Mint Hill. Some buses also go to Iredell County, Gaston County, Union County, and York County, South Carolina.

Most buses start from the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown. Some buses go directly between train stations and neighborhoods far from the city center. There are also special buses for people who cannot use regular buses because of disabilities.

CATS has 323 buses that travel on 73 different routes. Every week, about 190,000 people ride these buses.

Active fleet

Rail

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) runs two rail lines called "Lynx." The name matches Charlotte's cat theme, as the city's NFL team is the Carolina Panthers and its NBA team was once the Charlotte Bobcats. "Lynx" also sounds like "links," showing the rail helps people connect.

CATS rail service started in 2004 with a special trolley. In 2007, the Lynx Blue Line opened, becoming North Carolina's first major rail service. It runs from near Pineville to Uptown Charlotte and later expanded toward UNC Charlotte. The CityLynx Gold Line, a shorter streetcar line, started in 2015 and runs through central Charlotte.

CATS uses two types of rail cars: Siemens S70 for the Blue Line and Siemens S700 for the Gold Line. These cars have many seats and space for wheelchairs and bikes. Some older trolley cars were used until 2020 and then sold to another city.

Transit centers

Main articles: Charlotte Gateway Station and Charlotte Transportation Center

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) runs four main spots where buses and trains meet, called transit centers. A fifth one, Charlotte Gateway Station, is being built right now. These centers work like a star system, with the Charlotte Transportation Center in the middle and three smaller centers—Eastland, Rosa Parks Place, and SouthPark—helping people get around in their areas.

The Eastland Community Transit Center is located where the old Eastland Mall used to be. It has space for small and regular buses. Rosa Parks Place Community Transit Center is near the Mecklenburg County Health Department and is named after Rosa Parks, who helped fight for fair treatment for everyone. The SouthPark Community Transit Center is under SouthPark Mall and was the first of its kind for CATS. It even has special artwork on the walls!

Future service

Future plans for the Charlotte Area Transit System include adding new types of transportation like light rail, streetcars, and bus rapid transit. These plans were part of a big plan made in 2006. In 2013, a group estimated it would cost a lot of money—about $3.3 billion—to build these new lines and keep them running until 2024. They suggested using different ways to get the money, like special taxes or partnerships with companies.

Some specific ideas include a line called the Silver Line, which would stretch 29 miles from places like Belmont and Matthews all the way to Uptown Charlotte and the airport. There’s also a plan for a Red Line, which was supposed to be a train service but might now become a special bus service instead. The transit system is also testing out new electric buses with a company called Duke Energy.

Proposed

Silver Line

Main article: Lynx Silver Line

The Lynx Silver Line would be a 29-mile light rail line connecting Belmont, Matthews, Stallings, Indian Trail, Uptown Charlotte, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. It was originally two projects but was combined in 2019. It might open around 2037.

Red Line

Main article: Lynx Red Line

The Lynx Red Line was planned as a 25-mile commuter rail service using an existing train path. However, there were problems getting permission and money, so the plan changed to a bus rapid transit service instead. Recently, there’s been talk of bringing back the train idea, but there are still some legal issues to solve.

Microtransit

CATS is planning to start a new service called microtransit in 2024. It will cover areas like the University and North End, and also parts of Charlotte, Cornelius, Davidson, and Huntersville. A small test version was tried in 2022.

Ridership data

The data shows how many people used the transit system and the costs from 1997 to 2005. During this time, the number of rides taken went up by 52%. The cost for each ride went up by 66%, while the cost for each mile and hour the vehicles were used also increased.

_Source: CATS 2010 Annual Report, [National Transit Database](