Faster bus routes for north Mecklenburg commuters coming in February

Bus commuters from northern Mecklenburg County to uptown Charlotte will have faster service on four express routes starting Feb. 3, the Charlotte Area Transit System says.

Buses on the routes will use the Interstate 77 toll lanes that opened Nov. 16 and the new direct connector ramps that lead to crossing streets. Each route will serve different park-and-ride locations.

The changes, called MetroRapid, will begin the rapid-transit bus service that CATS will deploy in place of long-planned commuter rail to Charlotte from northern Mecklenburg and southern Iredell County. Red Line commuter rail has been stalled because of CATS’ inability to share the existing Norfolk Southern rail line.

Three of the new express routes are already in use but will change routes and schedules: 48X to Northcross; 53X to Northlake; and 77X to north Mecklenburg.

CATS promises 12-minute service during morning and evening rush hours between the Northcross park-and-ride lot and uptown, and 20-minute service for the Northlake and north Mecklenburg routes.

A new route, 63X to Huntersville, will be added. The Huntersville Gateway park-and-ride express route will deliver riders in 13 minutes during rush hours, CATS said.

One-way bus fares will remain $3.

CATS will also start a new shuttle service, Route 290 Davidson, to connect the 77X express route to the town of Davidson. Fares will be 90 cents.

More enhancements may be made to the rapid-transit bus service later, CATS spokeswoman Juliann Sheldon said.

This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 2:55 PM.