Overview

Raleigh CAT, or Capital Area Transit operates 37 bus routes and 1 trolley route to serve the city of Raleigh, North Carolina. An articulated bus operated by the CTA in Chicago, Illinois, USA. A Go North East Bus parked in a lay-by in Tyne and Wear, England A bus is a large road vehicle intended to carry numerous persons in addition to the driver and sometimes a conductor. ... Nickname: City of Oaks Motto: You Can See the Whole State from Here Map of Wake County, North Carolina Coordinates: Country United States State North Carolina County Wake County Founded 1792  - Mayor Charles Meeker (D) Area    - City 299. ...

Public Transit History in Raleigh

Serving the City

Previous to the CAT bus system CP&L (now known as Progress Energy) provided public transit to the city.

It started in 1886 with mule-drawn vehicles, covering routes in 1 square mile of central Raleigh.

In 1891 the mule-drawn vehicle service came to an end and the electric street car service began. The electric street cars served several routes, covering about 2 square miles of Raleigh. Due to rapid advances in automotive technology at that time, in 1933 all street car service was ended and bus service began. It wasn't until the 1950s that ridership went down due to more people using their own private vehicles.

In the mid- to late-20th century CP&L stopped providing bus service to the city. This is when the CAT system was born.

When it first started, the city of Raleigh paid a private company to run the CAT bus system. It wasn't until the 1990s that the city began taking over.

The Raleigh Trolley history

The Raleigh Trolley was started to attract people to the Restaurants and Clubs in downtown Raleigh at night. The trolley line originally linked Moore Square to Glenwood South, but was changed to link Moore Square to the Progress Energy center for Performing Arts when they became sponsors of the trolley. In 2005, CAT purchased 2 new hybrid trolleys (first hybrid public transit vehicles ever to be used in North Carolina) to serve the current Raleigh Trolley line in downtown Raleigh. Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ...

The Raleigh Trolley Image File history File links Sm_trolley. ...

CAT bus

Current service level

CATs current service level is based upon year 2 of the 5 year plan.

CAT currently is operating 18 fixed routes serving downtown from 5:30am-7:00pm Monday-Saturday and an additional 7 connector routes and 1 express route not serving downtown. A trolley route also serves downtown Thursday-Saturday 5:30pm-11:30pm.

During the hours of 4:30am-5:30am Monday-Saturday, 7:00pm-12:00am Monday-Saturday and 8:00am-8:00pm Sunday, the number of routes serving the city is reduced to anywhere from 3 to 17 routes depending on the day and time.

3 additional routes (1 serving downtown and 2 express from Park and Ride Lots) operate from 7:00am-12:00am during all the dates of the NC State Fair.

+ Some bus routes operate at a greater or lesser frequency during these times

++ Some bus routes operate at a greater frequency at these times. 70e does not operate during midday hours.

Because some bus routes are designed to serve areas unserved by the regular 26 CAT bus routes, during extended hours (before 5:30am and after 7:00pm M-SA and all day SU), there is not any time during the day where all 37 bus routes operate. Some bus routes may only operate during Early Mornings ONLY (4:30am-5:30am), Evenings ONLY(7:00pm-12:00am), and/or Sundays ONLY. Note that a small portion of the regular 26 CAT bus routes DO operate during extended hours.

CAT 5 year plan

In 2002, CAT spent $200,000 to hire consultants to come up with a 5 year plan to improve public transit in the city of Raleigh. At that time, most bus scheduels were 10 years out of date. It wasn't until FY 2006 that the City Council gave CAT the additional funding needed to begin implementing year 1 of the 5 year plan. At the start of FY 2007 the City Council gave CAT the additional funding need for year 2 of the 5 year plan (which took effect on bus routes in January, 2007). The City Council is yet to make a public announcement as to whether they will give CAT additional funding for year 3 of the 5 year plan in FY 2008. January is the first month of the year and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD (or CE) era. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

CAT funding / subsidization

CAT is funded by the City of Raleigh. CAT's current budget is $13 million for FY 2007, up from $10 million in FY 2006. All but $5 million of the funding comes from the city. The increase in funding comes 100% from the city.

The city collects all the fare earned from the busses. It is estimated that each ride taken on the CAT bus costs the city $2.50, while bus fare is just $1.00.

CAT ridership

According to the Raleigh News & Observer, CAT ridership for FY 2006 was 4 million. According to the city budget FY 2006, the ridership levels on business days averages over 13,000 daily, up from 11,000 daily in September 2005 (when gas prices began to climb after Hurricane Katrina), and 8,000 daily in the year 2002.-1... -1... Lowest pressure 902 mbar (hPa; 26. ...

Riders boarding a CAT bus in downtown Raleigh Image File history File links Catchacat_156. ...

The effects of terrorism on public transit

In Raleigh

There have been no serious terrorist threats on public transit in Raleigh's history.

Transit watch

Transit Watch is a new public awareness program started by the FTA that encourages people to be alert for terrorist activity on public transit (such as abandoned bags or suspicious people). In early 2006 CAT entered into the campaign.

Other public transit today in Raleigh

ART

ART, or Accessible Raleigh Transit, serves those living within 3/4 of a mile of a bus line, but due to disability are unable to use it. ART does this by paying for a portion of your taxi ride.

Amtrak

Amtrak provides 3 train routes serving Raleigh. Train lines provide direct service from Raleigh to as far as Florida, New York, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... NY redirects here. ... Nickname: The Queen City, Hornets Nest Location in Mecklenburg County in the state of North Carolina Coordinates: Country United States State North Carolina Counties Mecklenburg County, North Carolina  - Mayor Pat McCrory, (R) Area    - City 629. ...

CTRAN

CTRAN, otherwise known as Cary Transit, provides service to Elderly and Disabled Cary residents who need a ride to Raleigh Hospitals, in addition to regular bus service in Cary city limits.

DATA

DATA, otherwise know as Durham Area Transit Authority, provides 1 route stretching to Brier Creek in Raleigh, in addition to many bus routes serving Durham. Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

Greyhound/Carolina Trailways

Greyhound and partner Carolina Trailways provides bus lines from Raleigh to much of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Greyhound is a breed of dog used for companionship, coursing game and racing. ...

RDU

RDU or Raleigh Durham International Airport, is the only place in Raleigh you can fly out of on a public plane. Public transit service to RDU is made possible through TTA. Raleigh-Durham International Airport is an airport located near Morrisville, North Carolina, between Raleigh and Durham. ...

TTA

TTA, otherwise know as Triangle Transit Authority, is a regional transit service, providing Raleigh with several routes to neighboring cities and RTP. Triangle Transit Authority bus. ...

Wolfline

Wolfline provides almost a dozen routes additional to the CAT bus system serving just NCSU (North Carolina State University) and surrounding areas in west Raleigh. The Wolfline is an area bus service serving the students, staff, faculty, and general public on and around North Carolina State Universitys campus in Raleigh, NC. The Wolfline is operated by NC States Transportation department, under contract with Veolia transportation systems. ... North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. ...

Other Bus Lines

In the city of Raleigh, some other national and international bus lines that take riders along the East Coast, and too various locations in the South. Some of these are hispanic bus lines, while others are discount/low cost bus lines.

Sources

Websites

• Official site
• GoTriangle
• National Park Service
• Independent Weekly
• Raleigh News & Observer

Documents

• CAT 5 year plan
• City Budget FY 2007

Other

• Raleigh City Museum - History of Transportation in Raleigh