CATS is planning fare system improvements to Modernize, Simplify, and Grow Ridership while staying true to our commitment to making fare payment clear, convenient and easy to use ensuring a positive transit experience for every customer.
These improvements are intended to make it easier for customers to pay by using familiar methods such as mobile devices and contactless cards while enabling electronic fare validation across the entire system.
CATS initiated a Comprehensive Fare Study in May 2024 to modernize its fare system, simplify fare structures and grow ridership.
CATS is holding a public comment period and public hearing to collect public comments on the proposed Fare Modernization Program changes.
Public Hearing and Public Comment
We want to hear from you! The public comment period runs April 1 - May 7. You can share your feedback in any of the following ways:
A public hearing with the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) will be held on proposed changes in person at the location, date and time noted below:
Learn more about the proposed Fare Modernization Program changes by selecting the button below.
Fare Modernization Program
Proposed Changes
CATS identified proposed fare program changes to help achieve its vision to Modernize, Simplify and Grow Ridership. Click through the follow bullet points below to learn more about each proposed change.
If you require accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or translation or interpretation services (free of charge), please email CATSBoards@charlottenc.gov or call 704-356-1794 at least 72 hours prior to the public hearing meeting date.
Para traducción llama al 704-356-1794.
CATS will modernize how customers pay their fares, enabling them to pay with what is in their pocket.
In addition to the CATS-Pass mobile app, CATS will introduce new electronic fare media options, including open payments and smart cards. Customers will Tap and Go or Scan and Go.
Tap and Go with a smart card, credit/debit card or mobile wallet
Customers will be able to tap contactless media on the fare validator. There is no need to insert or swipe your ticket or pass. Open payments will give customers the ability to use their contactless credit/debit cards and mobile wallets.
Scan and go with the CATS-Pass mobile app
New fare media validators will be available across all services, including on Blue Line platforms. Customers will be able to scan the barcode on their phone at the fare validator.
Electronic fare media for all customers
It is important that the new fare system is inclusive of all customers, including those receiving fare assistance from organizations. The new fare system will include disposable and limited-use fare media. CATS will discontinue legacy fare products, including magnetic stripe tickets, passes, and 10 ride tickets.
A new retail network will provide an accessible way to reload CATS-Pass and smart card accounts.Customers will also be able to purchase smart cards and/or reload their accounts at retailers throughout the CATS service area and at the Charlotte Transportation Center for $5.00.
The planned future retail network along with a new online customer website will replace the current distribution of fare products at retailers and the online store.
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There are additional benefits associated with the new ways to pay. Some features, such as family accounts, may not be available at launch. These features will be rolled out as they become available.
Benefits include:
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Online account management to load value, check your balance, view account history and track progress towards fare caps
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Balance protection for registered accounts
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Autoload to replenish your account using a stored credit/debit card
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Negative balance to enable one more ride to ensure you are not stranded
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Family accounts to manage other household member accounts, such as children
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With new validators, CATS will be able to electronically validate fares on all services, providing valuable data to support service planning and managing fare compliance. There will be platform validators on light rail, onboard validators on bus and streetcar, and handheld validators on STS paratransit and microtransit.
Proof of Payment and Fare Paid Zones
Customers will be required to electronically validate their fare media on Blue and Gold Lines and carry proof of payment with them to support fare inspections. Proof of payment will also be required inside of the Charlotte Transportation Center. Proof of payment will include electronic fare media that has been validated on a validator and other valid passes/tickets.
To support proof of payment, each customer will use their own fare media. This will also support fare capping, which limits how much a customer pays overtime and rewards higher transit use.
Fare Payment and Validation on the Blue Line
Light rail customers will be required to validate their fares on new validators that will be located as customers enter the platform. Ticket vending machines will still be available for customers to purchase a single ride ticket using cash or credit/debit card. The ticket vending machines will no longer issue other products.
CATS will also enforce a paid fare zone on the platform and onboard the train. Customers will need to pay their fare prior to entering the paid fare zone that will be indicated with signage and markings on the pavement.
Fare Payment and Validation on the Gold Line
CATS will introduce fares on streetcar. The streetcar fare will be the same as the local fare, which is currently $2.20 for full-fare customers and $1.10 for reduced-fare customers.
Streetcar customers will be required to validate their fares at an onboard validator near the door or pay the fare with cash onboard.
Fare Payment and Validation at the Charlotte Transportation Center
Customers inside the Charlotte Transportation Center will be required to have proof of payment. CATS is in the process of implementing the fare paid zone at the Charlotte Transportation Center, which will include pavement markings, signage and ticket vending machines (and validators as part of a later phase) at the entrances.
Fare Payment and Validation on Bus
Customers on bus will pay when boarding. Customers will validate their fare media at the new validator or pay their fare with cash at the farebox. No paper transfers or proof of payment will be issued to cash customers.
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New fare technology will enable CATS to simplify fare payment, improving the customer experience.
Fare Capping
CATS will replace fare products with pay-as-you-go with fare capping. CATS currently offers a variety of fare products, including one-way fares, day passes, 10-ride tickets, weekly passes, and monthly passes.
Instead of purchasing a fare product upfront, customers will simply pay-as-they-go until they reach the fare cap. There will be no need for customers to determine which fare product or pass best meets their needs based on services used and how many trips they plan to take. Fare capping also promotes equity as some customers may not have the financial ability to purchase fare products upfront, such as a monthly pass.
With fare capping, fares paid will accumulate towards daily, weekly and monthly fare caps, calculating the best fare based on the trips taken. Local full-fare customers will pay no more than $6.60 per day, $30.90 per week, or $88 per month. This amounts to 3 trips daily, 14 trips weekly, and 40 trips monthly.
Fare capping will also be available for reduced-fare customers, including youth, seniors and people with disabilities, and on all services, including express plus fares paid on regional express service.
While CATS will replace fare products for the general public with fare capping, fare products and passes will still be available for pass programs with organizations and institutions, such as the Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC), Non-Profit Discount and All-Access Pass programs. A new website is being developed to support these organizations with program account management.
Electronic 2-Hour Pass
CATS will introduce an electronic 2-hour pass available to customers using electronic fare media. CATS would discontinue paper cash transfers. Cash customers on bus and streetcar and customers using a ticket vending machine will be required to pay for each ride.
The current fare structure includes 90-minute cash paper transfers, with a new transfer issued for each transfer, or a 90-minute transfer through the CATS-Pass mobile app. The proposed fare structure includes cash pay per ride, where there are no transfers for cash payment at farebox or at a ticket vending machine.
The proposed fare structure also includes a 2-hour electronic pass, with free transfers for fares paid with CATS-Pass, contactless credit/debit card, or smart card. Fares paid count toward fare capping and upgrades are paid with stored value.
Customers transferring from services with a local fare to regional express will be able to upgrade their 2-hour passes using stored value. Cash upgrades will no longer be accepted. Customers using 2-hour passes issued on disposable fare media will not be able to upgrade their 2-hour passes.
New ways to pay and the ability to reload accounts are critical to the ability to transition to an electronic-only 2-hour pass. The new retail network will enable customers to reload their accounts conveniently and obtain reloadable smart cards at participating locations throughout the CATS service area.
Fare Structure Simplification
CATS will reduce the number of fare prices. CATS will simplify fares by reducing the number of fare prices.
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Local bus, light rail, and microtransit fares will remain the same, at $2.20 for full-fare customers and $1.10 for reduced-fare customers.
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A fare on streetcar will be introduced and will align with the local fare ($2.20 for full-fare customers and $1.10 for reduced-fare customers).
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The express fare will be eliminated, and the fare for express service will align with the local fare. On express bus, customers currently pay $3.00 for full-fare customers and $1.50 for reduced-fare customers. With the proposed changes, these customers will pay the local fare ($2.20 for full-fare customers and $1.10 for reduced-fare customers). This will simplify the fare structure and reduce cost barriers that can discourage customers from using express service.
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The express plus fare will be lowered from twice the local fare to 1.5 times the local fare. At the current local fare of $2.20, the new price of express plus will be $3.50. The higher fare on regional express service reflects the longer distance of these trips and the different funding structure of these routes that operate out of Mecklenburg County to areas not participating in the local sales tax.
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As part of lowering the express plus fare, CATS will no longer offer the reduced fare on regional express service. Discontinuing the reduced fare on regional express service will help simplify the fare structure and reduce the number of fare products and caps. Unlike other CATS services, regional express service only operates during the peak periods so CATS is not required to offer a reduced fare on this service. The fare for reduced-fare customers on regional express service will increase from $2.20 to $3.50.
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Community shuttle fares will remain the same, at $0.90 for full-fare customers and $0.45 for reduced-fare customers. As CATS expands microtransit and transitions neighborhood shuttle services to microtransit, CATS will phase out the community shuttle fare. CATS has begun introducing microtransit to its portfolio of services and launched its first microtransit zone in 2025. The microtransit fare is set at the local fare ($2.20 for full-fare customers, $1.10 for reduced-fare customers).
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With the new ways to pay, CATS will transition to electronic management of reduced-fare eligibility. Reduced-fare customers will apply and register with CATS to receive a reduced-fare smart card or reduced-fare CATS-Pass mobile app account. Applications will require address, phone number, and email address to create an account.
With the new ways to pay, CATS will transition to electronic management of reduced-fare eligibility. Reduced-fare customers will apply and register with CATS to receive a reduced-fare smart card or reduced-fare CATS-Pass mobile app account. Applications will require address, phone number, and email address to create an account.
Customers currently eligible for reduced fares, including seniors, persons with disabilities and youth, will continue to be able to pay the reduced fare with cash with an accepted identification card. Youth who are ages 6 to 12 years old will not be required to have identification card for proof of eligibility when riding with an adult.
A new reduced-fare smart card would replace the Transit ID. Reduced-fare customers will have the option to select a personalized smart card that can serve as a Transit ID or select a CATS-Pass mobile app account. Reduced-fare customers will receive their first smart card for free. Replacement of lost, stolen or damaged reduced-fare smart cards will be subject to a $5.00 replacement fee.
Electronic management of reduced-fare eligibility will enable CATS to expand fare capping to reduced-fare customers and new groups of customers, while improving the management of reduced-fare eligibility.
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New ways to pay and electronic management of reduced-fare eligibility will enable CATS to expand reduced-fare eligibility. CATS will introduce reduced fares for low-income customers and veteran/active-duty military customers.
In addition to leveraging the new fare system to manage eligibility and reduced-fare benefits, CATS will leverage conditional eligibility by accepting existing forms of eligibility, such as benefit letter for (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) SNAP or veteran ID. This will minimize CATS involvement in reviewing sensitive documents, such as pay stubs or tax returns.
For the low-income fare program, applicants receiving assistance through one of the qualifying programs will submit photocopies of their benefits letters or other documentation. Qualifying assistance programs include:
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Medicaid
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SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or Food and Nutrition Services
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Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
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Free and Reduced Lunch
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Housing Choice Voucher, formerly known as Section 8
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Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP)
Customers participating in the low-income fare program must have a registered reduced-fare account and pay electronically to receive the reduced-fare discount.
Veterans and active-duty military applicants will submit photocopies of their veteran or military IDs as proof of eligibility with their applications. Veteran and active-duty military customers must have a registered reduced-fare account and pay electronically to receive the reduced-fare discount.
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Simplified Reduced-Fare Application
With the requiring reduced-fare customers to apply and register with CATS to use electronic fare media, CATS will explore ways to simplify the application process and make it easier to apply. CATS will explore opportunities for online reduced-fare applications, as well as ways to accept applications by mail or through enrollment events.
With electronic management, CATS will extend how often a customer must renew their reduced-fare eligibility. Currently, customers must apply and obtain a new Transit ID each year. The following are the proposed changes to how frequently reduced-fare customers will need to renew:
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Seniors will renew every 10 years.
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People with disabilities will renew every 5 years (temporary disability renewal will continue to be based on the Certificate of Disability completed by a doctor).
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Youth 12 and under will renew when turning 13.
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Low-income customers will renew every 2 years.
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Veteran and active-duty military customers will renew every 10 years.
Simplified Reduced-Fare Eligibility
The Comprehensive Fare Study also identified additional opportunities, including transitioning to age-based youth eligibility, simplifying the policy for children who ride free and increasing the senior age.
CATS will extend reduced-fare eligibility to youth ages 6 to 19. This change will replace reduced-fare eligibility based on K-12th grade enrollment with age-based eligibility.
CATS will remove the 46-inch height limit requirement for children 5 and under to be eligible to ride for free when accompanied by an adult.
CATS will increase the senior age threshold from 62 to 65, providing consistency with other transit agencies. CATS is only required to offer reduced fares to seniors ages 65 and older. The senior age threshold will increase each year until it reaches 65, maintaining eligibility for currently eligible seniors.
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