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Charlotte Area Transit System
The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is the agency responsible for public transportation in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Established in 1999, CATS operates bus and rail transit services in Mecklenburg County and surrounding areas. CATS is governed by the Metropolitan Transit Commission and is operated as a department of the City of Charlotte. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 14,297,800, or about 55,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025.
Prior to 1976, public transportation in Charlotte was entirely privatized. Trolleys operated in the city from 1891 until 1938. Privately operated bus routes also ran in Charlotte until 1976.
In 1976, the City of Charlotte began operating bus routes under the Charlotte Transit brand, which operated from 1976 until CATS was founded in 2000. (Charlotte Transit and the Charlotte Area Transit System are not to be confused despite the similarity in name.) Charlotte Transit operated almost entirely local bus routes, with the exception of two express routes. As the Charlotte metro area's population grew rapidly, the bus service operated by Charlotte Transit proved to be inadequate. In 1998, a Mecklenburg County referendum was approved by citizens that enacted a 0.5% sales tax increase to improve public transportation in the area. The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) was created as a result of the vote, leading to the consolidation of Charlotte Transit and the MTC in 2000 as the Charlotte Area Transit System, creating CATS as it is today.
After the founding of CATS, more express routes were added to the edges of Mecklenburg County and local bus service was expanded, especially to the fast-growing southern areas of Charlotte. Some commuter/express routes were also initiated outside Mecklenburg County. CATS also expanded bus infrastructure throughout the area during this period. In 2005, CATS built three community transit bus centers to supplement the central Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown Charlotte. The centers were built in SouthPark (inside the SouthPark Mall parking facility), Eastland (at the old Eastland mall), and at Rosa Parks Place in the Wilson Heights neighborhood north of Uptown. As a result of CATS' expansion during its early years, transit ridership in the Charlotte metropolitan area increased 55 percent, largely due to the expansion of express bus services.
CATS chief Ron Tober began the planning process for what would become the Lynx Blue Line in the early 2000s. Under Tober's leadership, the MTC adopted the 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan in 2006. The initial plan called for the "Red Line" commuter rail with service to Northern Mecklenburg County, the Blue Line, the CityLynx Gold Line streetcar, and a busway along the route of what is now planned to be the Lynx Silver Line. In 2007, the initial portion of the Blue Line opened, connecting the Uptown, South End, Scaleybark, Tyvola, and Arrowood neighborhoods. The initial phase of the Blue Line spurred an explosion of development along the rail corridor, particularly in South End. Shortly after the Blue Line opened, CEO Ron Tober, who had led CATS since its inception, retired.
After Tober's departure, CATS hired Carolyn Flowers, who had previously headed the bus system in Los Angeles County. During Flowers' tenure, the transit system pushed ahead with the Gold Line and Blue Line extension projects in the wake of the Great Recession. In 2014, Flowers resigned to take a Federal Transit Administration position. John M. Lewis Jr. was then hired as the new head of the transit system.
After the success of the Blue Line, CATS reversed course on its initial plans to expand bus service to Matthews and the airport, instead planning for a second light rail line, the Lynx Silver Line, that would travel southeast to Matthews and west to Charlotte Douglas International Airport and across the Catawba River to Belmont.
In 2015, the first phase of the CityLynx Gold Line streetcar opened. The initial line connected the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown to Hawthorne Lane and 5th Street, through the First Ward and Cherry neighborhoods. The first phase of the Gold Line utilized retro trolley streetcars, while future phases will incorporate Siemens S70 streetcar vehicles. The second phase of the Gold Line, construction of which is expected to wrap up in late 2020 or early 2021, will extend the existing line to Sunnyside Avenue in Plaza Midwood and French Street by Johnson C. Smith University. In 2018, the Blue Line extension opened, connecting the existing Blue Line to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, connecting the University City, NoDa, Optimist Park, Plaza Midwood, and Belmont neighborhoods. The Red Line project, an integral piece of the 2030 System Plan, has run into significant headwinds due to disagreements with Norfolk Southern, which owns the tracks the Red Line was planned to operate on, and funding concerns. In September 2024, the city of Charlotte voted in approval of the purchase of the rail corridor for the Red Line from Norfolk Southern and a sales tax increase to support operations.
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Charlotte Area Transit System
The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is the agency responsible for public transportation in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Established in 1999, CATS operates bus and rail transit services in Mecklenburg County and surrounding areas. CATS is governed by the Metropolitan Transit Commission and is operated as a department of the City of Charlotte. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 14,297,800, or about 55,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025.
Prior to 1976, public transportation in Charlotte was entirely privatized. Trolleys operated in the city from 1891 until 1938. Privately operated bus routes also ran in Charlotte until 1976.
In 1976, the City of Charlotte began operating bus routes under the Charlotte Transit brand, which operated from 1976 until CATS was founded in 2000. (Charlotte Transit and the Charlotte Area Transit System are not to be confused despite the similarity in name.) Charlotte Transit operated almost entirely local bus routes, with the exception of two express routes. As the Charlotte metro area's population grew rapidly, the bus service operated by Charlotte Transit proved to be inadequate. In 1998, a Mecklenburg County referendum was approved by citizens that enacted a 0.5% sales tax increase to improve public transportation in the area. The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) was created as a result of the vote, leading to the consolidation of Charlotte Transit and the MTC in 2000 as the Charlotte Area Transit System, creating CATS as it is today.
After the founding of CATS, more express routes were added to the edges of Mecklenburg County and local bus service was expanded, especially to the fast-growing southern areas of Charlotte. Some commuter/express routes were also initiated outside Mecklenburg County. CATS also expanded bus infrastructure throughout the area during this period. In 2005, CATS built three community transit bus centers to supplement the central Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown Charlotte. The centers were built in SouthPark (inside the SouthPark Mall parking facility), Eastland (at the old Eastland mall), and at Rosa Parks Place in the Wilson Heights neighborhood north of Uptown. As a result of CATS' expansion during its early years, transit ridership in the Charlotte metropolitan area increased 55 percent, largely due to the expansion of express bus services.
CATS chief Ron Tober began the planning process for what would become the Lynx Blue Line in the early 2000s. Under Tober's leadership, the MTC adopted the 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan in 2006. The initial plan called for the "Red Line" commuter rail with service to Northern Mecklenburg County, the Blue Line, the CityLynx Gold Line streetcar, and a busway along the route of what is now planned to be the Lynx Silver Line. In 2007, the initial portion of the Blue Line opened, connecting the Uptown, South End, Scaleybark, Tyvola, and Arrowood neighborhoods. The initial phase of the Blue Line spurred an explosion of development along the rail corridor, particularly in South End. Shortly after the Blue Line opened, CEO Ron Tober, who had led CATS since its inception, retired.
After Tober's departure, CATS hired Carolyn Flowers, who had previously headed the bus system in Los Angeles County. During Flowers' tenure, the transit system pushed ahead with the Gold Line and Blue Line extension projects in the wake of the Great Recession. In 2014, Flowers resigned to take a Federal Transit Administration position. John M. Lewis Jr. was then hired as the new head of the transit system.
After the success of the Blue Line, CATS reversed course on its initial plans to expand bus service to Matthews and the airport, instead planning for a second light rail line, the Lynx Silver Line, that would travel southeast to Matthews and west to Charlotte Douglas International Airport and across the Catawba River to Belmont.
In 2015, the first phase of the CityLynx Gold Line streetcar opened. The initial line connected the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown to Hawthorne Lane and 5th Street, through the First Ward and Cherry neighborhoods. The first phase of the Gold Line utilized retro trolley streetcars, while future phases will incorporate Siemens S70 streetcar vehicles. The second phase of the Gold Line, construction of which is expected to wrap up in late 2020 or early 2021, will extend the existing line to Sunnyside Avenue in Plaza Midwood and French Street by Johnson C. Smith University. In 2018, the Blue Line extension opened, connecting the existing Blue Line to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, connecting the University City, NoDa, Optimist Park, Plaza Midwood, and Belmont neighborhoods. The Red Line project, an integral piece of the 2030 System Plan, has run into significant headwinds due to disagreements with Norfolk Southern, which owns the tracks the Red Line was planned to operate on, and funding concerns. In September 2024, the city of Charlotte voted in approval of the purchase of the rail corridor for the Red Line from Norfolk Southern and a sales tax increase to support operations.