CATS Micro to Launch Affordable Rideshare Service in North Meck

Charlotte Area Transit Services (CATS) announced its new rideshare service, CATS Micro, during Wednesday’s Metropolitan Transit Commission meeting. The service will provide first- and last-mile connections to bus service as well as rides to any desired destination within its north Mecklenburg coverage area starting Feb. 24.

CATS Micro will provide on-demand, shared-rides operating point-to-point at an affordable rate within the coverage area, which stretches from West W.T. Harris Boulevard in north Charlotte to Davidson, the northernmost town in Mecklenburg County. 

The service is meant to expand on and improve the existing Village Rider service, which will be phased out in northern Mecklenburg County as CATS Micro launches. The zone covers all existing Village Rider routes and maintains a connection to Northlake Mall.

During a presentation at Wednesday’s meeting, CATS Chief Administration Officer Elizabeth Presutti said CATS has established zone boundaries, operating parameters, service delivery partners and branding for the service.

Rather than the fixed routes offered by Village Rider, CATS Micro offers a customizable route and schedule, picking up and dropping off customers at desired locations or the closest safe area within the service zone.

Presutti said CATS hopes to fully replace Village Rider with CATS Micro by the summer. She added that there is potential to expand the zone in the future after receiving feedback from this launch.

“As we thought about the pilot, we really wanted to ensure that there was a seamless connection in people being able to ride a one-seat ride from north to south,” Presutti said.

CATS Micro fare will be $2.20, the same as a local bus, with no price fluctuations during rush hour. There will be no cash accepted on the vehicles and a limited number of paper passes will be accepted for driver safety and fare validity. There will also be an upcharge to transfer to express or regional express services.

CATS Micro will function through two partnerships acquired through a Request for Proposal issued last spring. The partners include service provider MV Transportation and mobility operations platform Spare Labs.

Working alongside Charlotte-based, Black- and woman-owned wheelchair and nonemergency transportation service My Little Helper, MV Transportation of Salisbury will provide vehicles, operators, dispatch services, a call center and service supervision. Spare Labs, the software provider, will help integrate the service into the CATS-Pass app.

Toyota Sienna LE 2025 vehicles branded with the CATS Micro logo will be deployed in service zones daily upon the program’s launch.

Before that occurs, however, CATS will carry out a period of community engagement beginning Feb. 3 that will include informational meetings, community pop-ups at activity centers, stakeholder outreach, Village Rider ridealongs, travel training, partnerships with towns included in the coverage area, and paid advertising. These activities will take place through up until the service’s launch.

Upon CATS Micro’s launch, customers will be able to book same-day rides on the CATS-Pass app anytime between 6 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekends with a wait time of no more than 30 minutes. Customers can also book through the call center at 704-336-7433, however Presutti said the CATS Micro team will be working with folks to encourage them to migrate to the app rather than calling the Call Center.

CATS will hold a CATS Micro launch event on Feb. 21 before the official launch on Feb. 24.

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