Charlotte Area Transit will debut on Monday in northern Mecklenburg County.
鈥淲e always like to say it鈥檚 similar to Lift and Uber,鈥� said Bruce Jones, CATS service planning manager. 鈥淚t is a shared ride experience where we have smaller vehicles."
Those vehicles 鈥� eight 2025 Toyota Siennas, to be precise 鈥� will eventually replace the three 鈥渧illage rider鈥� buses that currently circulate on fixed routes every 60 minutes. It鈥檚 similar to commercial ride-hailing platforms, but this service only operates within a specified zone and may pick up additional passengers along the way.
The amoeba-shaped zone engulfs a stretch of Interstate 77 that starts in Davidson and runs a little past Northlake Mall. It鈥檚 a few miles across at its widest points and includes destinations like Downtown Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson. The best way to tell if you鈥檙e in the zone these vans service is to search on the CATS app, according to transit trainer Lashima Tate.
鈥淎 lot of people wanted to know, 鈥榃ill it pick them up from their homes?鈥欌�� Tate said. 鈥淲hen they find that out, they were very excited about that.鈥�
This may help folks avoid waiting outside or crossing busy intersections to catch the bus.
鈥淪o, if it鈥檚 picking them up directly from their neighborhood and then taking them directly to the doctor鈥檚 office, to grocery stores 鈥� it provides some of that direct connection,鈥� Jones said.
There are some limitations. The service will operate during the day until 7 p.m. Parents with small children must bring their own booster seats if needed. Folks can bring shopping bags, but not so many that they take up a whole seat.
Brett Baldeck, communications manager for CATS, said Davidson students have expressed an interest, as well as others in the community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really been a sea of different types of people all for different things,鈥� Baldeck said. 鈥淭hey want to maybe go shopping, or maybe go to health care, or go to a community rec center. And, that鈥檚 kind of what the goal was when we first launched microtransit.鈥�
Riders will be able to book a ride on the CATS app for the standard fare of $2.20.
