Since Monday, Oct. 5, people in west Charlotte neighborhoods around Wilkinson Boulevard, Freedom Drive, Billy Graham Parkway and I-77 South can book a public transit ride the way they would book a rideshare, from a phone, for $2.20.
The Charlotte Area Transit System launched the new zone for CATS Micro, its on-demand shared-ride van service, that day. Riders request a trip in the CATS-Pass app or by calling 704-336-7433. The app sends them to a pickup point, usually a nearby corner and no more than a block away. It is a shared-ride service, so the van may pick up other riders along the way.
Rides run every day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to CATS. Riders who need a wheelchair-accessible van can request one when they book.
Where it goes
CATS calls it the West Boulevard Zone. Its destinations include the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market, the South Charlotte VA Clinic, Harding University High School and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to CATS.
How the other zone has done
CATS already runs a microtransit zone in north Mecklenburg. It carried 6,756 trips in April, more than twice the 2,644 it carried in April 2025, according to CATS's monthly ridership report.
Separately, the one-cent transit sales tax that Mecklenburg County voters approved last year took effect on July 1. Under the state law that allowed it, a fifth of what the tax raises is for buses and microtransit.