Steve Copulsky, CMCL Steering Committee member, August 2026
Are you trying to understand transportation management in the Charlotte area? CATS stands for the Charlotte Area Transportation System. CATS runs our buses, light rail, streetcar and microtransit. The newly formed MPTA (Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority) oversees CATS and makes the big planning decisions, essentially serving as a Board of Directors for CATS. And then there’s CRTPO, which is the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization. CRTPO handles transportation planning for the broader region covering Mecklenburg, Iredell and Union Counties and CRTPO’s authority includes planning major roads, such as the controversial I-77 South toll road project. Read on for more details about each entity.
CATS
CATS (Charlotte Area Transportation System) runs the Charlotte area’s public transportation system, operating bus, light rail, streetcar, microtransit and paratransit services in Mecklenburg County with limited connections into surrounding areas.
CATS is primarily funded through dedicated local sales taxes, including a long-standing half-cent sales tax, supplemented by a 2025 voter-approved 1% county sales tax that went into effect on July 1, 2026. Additionally, significant funding comes from federal grants, state funds, and passenger fare revenues.
CATS is governed by the newly established Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA), which replaced the Metropolitan Transit Commission, the previous policy board that oversaw CATS. https://www.charlottenc.gov/CATS/Home
MPTA
The newly established Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA) was created after voters in Mecklenburg County approved a 1% sales tax in a referendum in November 2025. The voter-approved initiative provides a projected $19.4 billion transportation investment program for transit over the next 30 years.
The MPTA is charged with expanding and modernizing the region’s transit infrastructure, improving connectivity, and increasing mobility options for residents and visitors across Mecklenburg County. The MPTA will be responsible for implementing the approved CATS 2055 Transit System Plan, including bus, rail, microtransit expansion and enhancements.
The MPTA is led by a 27-member board that includes representatives from across the county. The board’s diverse makeup provides a wide range of perspectives, from transit riders and small business owners to experts in law, finance, engineering, and urban planning. Additionally, the MPTA is currently searching for its first Chief Executive Officer.
The MPTA has started making decisions, including adding a future fare to the Gold Streetcar Line, which currently is free, and tentatively deciding to add a Camp North End station to the planned Red Line Commuter Rail Line and conducting a study to consider adding a West Craighead Station.
The MPTA has also established an interim Public Transit Advisory Committee (PTAC) with appointees serving through December 31, 2026. During this time, the MPTA will develop a plan for a permanent advisory committee. New appointments will take place in the fall with new terms beginning in January 2027. https://www.ridempta.com/
CRTPO
The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) is the regional transportation planning organization serving communities in Iredell, Mecklenburg, and Union Counties. CRTPO is officially a federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Charlotte Urban Area. Federal legislation requires urban areas with populations larger than 50,000 to have an MPO.
CRTPO provides leadership and collaboration with member communities and partners in developing our region’s transportation system in cooperation with the State. CRTPO works with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT), and its member jurisdictions to develop transportation plans, travel models, thoroughfare plans, transit plans and bicycle and pedestrian plans. CRTPO also works with NCDOT on issues such as funding for transportation improvements, project planning, environmental impacts and air quality. CRTPO works with local governments to coordinate land use and transportation planning and CRPTO makes grants for roadway projects, bicycle/pedestrian projects, planning projects and air quality projects.
Decisions are made by the CRPTO Board which has 27 voting members and 5 non-voting members and consists of representatives from throughout the CRTPO’s planning area. In addition, the North Carolina Board of Transportation (NCBOT) and the new MPTA are represented. CRTPO has a staff of 13 people.
CRPTO is primarily funded through federal transportation programs administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation (including the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration), alongside state partnerships and local member jurisdiction contributions coordinated with the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
The CRTPO Board adopted the 2055 Metropolitan Transportation Plan in March 2026. A key milestone was the creation of a fiscally constrained project list, which identifies priority roadway and transit projects that can be funded over the next 30 years. CRTPO staff worked closely with member jurisdictions and CATS to finalize the project list.
CRTPO voted in May 2026 to rescind its support for the controversial I-77 South toll lane project after opposition from affected communities and environmentalists. However, following a state budget provision requiring local governments to repay roughly $60 million in spent NCDOT planning funds unless they reverse course, CRTPO has scheduled a new vote for September 23, 2026. https://crtpo.org/