Charlottesville Area Transit (formerly Charlottesville Transit Service) is the provider of mass transportation in Charlottesville, Virginia. The organization was formed in 1975 when the city bought out Yellow Transit Company, which held a private monopoly on city busing. In 1999, the agency took a big leap in terms of providing better service and gaining more ridership, establishing a free shuttle route (which is officially called a trolley, using green-painted trolley-style buses) connecting downtown with the University of Virginia. In 2007, the University Transit Service and Charlottesville Area Transit entered into an open ridership agreement that allows UVA students, faculty, and staff to ride CAT for free by showing a valid UVA ID card. Eleven routes are offered Monday through Saturday from the early morning until the late evening. Sunday service has been suspended since 2020 due to COVID-19. Prior to 2020, Sunday service was only available on the free trolley and Routes 2, 9, and 12.
Fares Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and funds provided by the American Rescue Plan and CARES Act, CAT operates fare-free. In December 2021, the City of Charlottesville announced that they received a grant from the Commonwealth Transportation Board to continue fare-free service through June 2026.
Routes +RouteTerminalsPrimary HubsAdditional Major StopsNotes1 PVCC & RiversidePVCC (Dickinson Bldg)Riverside Ave (Riverbluff Cir) Downtown Transit Station PVCC @ Dickinson Bldg. Market St. @ Old Preston Riverside Ave.2 5th Street Station5th Street StationLoop Downtown Transit Station 5th Street Station Avon St. Ext. @ Park & Ride Willoughby Square Shopping Center Free parking at Avon St. Ext. Park & Ride3 Southwood & BelmontSouthwood Mobile Home ParkBelmont Park Downtown Transit Station Willoughby Square Shopping Center Southwood Market St. @ Old Preston Belmont Park Willoughby Square Shopping Center Albemarle County Office Building4 UVA Health & Willoughby (via Cherry Ave./Harris Rd.)Willoughby Square Shopping CenterUVA HospitalDowntown Transit Station Downtown Transit Station UVA Hospital/Pinn Hall (outbound & inbound) Willoughby Square Shopping Center5 Barracks Road Shopping Center & WalmartBarracks Road Shopping CenterWalmart Barracks Road Shopping Center (Arlington Blvd.) Fashion Square Mall Walmart Shops at Stonefield Rio Hill Shopping Center (at Berkmar Dr.) Albemarle Square Shopping Center6 UVA Health & Willoughby (via Ridge St. & Prospect Ave.)Willoughby Square Shopping CenterUVA HospitalDowntown Transit Station Downtown Transit Station Pinn Hall Willoughby Square Shopping Center7 UVA Health, Barracks Road Shopping Center, and Fashion SquareDowntown Transit StationFashion Square Mall Downtown Transit Station UVA Hospital/Pinn Hall (outbound & inbound) Barracks Road Shopping Center (northbound & southbound, Arlington Blvd.) Kroger at Hydraulic Rd. Fashion Square Mall Amtrak Station Shops at Stonefield Seminole Square Shopping Center8 Preston Ave. & StonefieldDowntown Transit StationShops at Stonefield Downtown Transit Station Barracks Road Shopping Center (CVS) Kroger at Hydraulic Road Seminole Square Shopping Center Shops at Stonefield9 UVA Health, YMCA, and CHSDowntown Transit StationKenwood Ln. at Yorktown Dr. Downtown Transit Station UVA Hospital (outbound & inbound) YMCA (outbound & inbound) Grove Rd. at Concord Dr. (Charlottesville High School) Health Department10 Pantops & Martha JeffersonDowntown Transit StationSentara Martha Jefferson Hospital Downtown Transit Station Pantops Shopping Center Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital Avermore Apartments Rivanna Ridge Shopping Center11 Locust & Fashion SquareDowntown Transit StationFashion Square Mall Downtown Transit Station Fashion Square Mall Locust Grove Neighborhood Pen Park CATEC12 Seminole Trail (Sundays only)Downtown Transit StationWalmart Downtown Transit Station UVA Hospital/Pinn Hall (outbound & inbound) Barracks Road Shopping Center (northbound & southbound, Arlington Blvd.) Fashion Square Mall (inbound & outbound) Walmart Amtrak Station Shops at Stonefield Seminole Square Shopping Center Rio Hill Shopping Center (at Berkmar Dr.) Albemarle Square Shopping Center Currently not in service due to COVID-19T Free TrolleyUVA at Stadium Rd.Downtown Transit Station Downtown Transit Station UVA Hospital UVA Chapel Amtrak Station
Fleet Information The fleet consists of the following vehicles (as of September 2018): +Year/MakeCapacityLengthFuelWheel Chair Lift/Ramp2008 Gillig Low Floor Trolley Replica2030'DieselFront2008 Gillig Low Floor2635'DieselFront2008 Gillig Low Floor2029'DieselFront2010 Gillig Low Floor2029'Hybrid ElectricFront2010 Gillig Low Floor2635'DieselFront2011 GM-Goshen BOC1226'DieselRear2011 Gillig Low Floor2029'Hybrid ElectricFront2012 Gillig Low Floor2029'Hybrid ElectricFront2012 GM-Goshen BOC1226'DieselRear2013 GM-Goshen BOC1226'DieselRear2014 Gillig Low Floor2029'Hybrid ElectricFront2014 Gillig Low Floor Trolley Replica2635'DieselFront2014 Gillig Low Floor2635'DieselFront2015 Gillig Low Floor2635'DieselFront2016 GM-Arboc BOC1226'GasolineRear
References
External links Charlottesville Area Transit