Charlottesville Area Transit will implement a new service schedule beginning Aug. 4. As part of the update, CAT will make minor alignment and/or schedule changes to Routes 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and the Free Trolley.
These adjustments are meant to increase efficiencies, conform to new traffic patterns, and meet changing ridership trends. In April, CAT released a list of proposed changes to the public for comment. These were presented through a variety of channels including two public outreach meetings held at CitySpace.
Based on the feedback, several modifications were made. These include adding a bus stop on Hillsdale Drive near the Senior Center and leaving the Free Trolley’s alignment as-is when crossing the Downtown Mall. A comprehensive summary of August’s adjustments can be found below.
Summary of Service Adjustments
The Free Trolley will shift its departure times by five minutes from all bus stops. This will help alleviate congestion around the chapel.
- Route 1 will see minor changes around PVCC. The Stultz Center, bus stop #19849, will move from the parking lot to College Drive. Rather than laying over at this new location, the route will use the Dickinson Building, bus stop #12800, as PVCC’s official time point.
- Route 5 will experience a minor adjustment when departing from Walmart, bus stop #13296. Rather than leaving at :15 and :45 after, the route will depart at :20 and :50.
- Route 7 will shift its alignment to travel down the newly constructed Hillsdale Drive Extension. Instead of cutting back out to Seminole Trail after serving the Seminole Square Shopping Center, the route will follow Hillsdale Drive to Greenbrier Drive. As part of the adjustment, the route will no longer serve the bus stop directly in front of the Marshalls store (#14373), the Post Office bus stop on Seminole Trail (#16447), and the Seminole Trail @ Greenbrier bus stop (#16452). New bus stops will be added on Hillsdale Drive to serve these locations. With the shift of the Marshalls bus stop, Route 7’s new time point will occur at the Kroger on Hydraulic Road. Lastly, the Holiday Inn bus stop on Emmet Street (#16520) will move around the corner to Hydraulic Road.
- Routes 8 will share Route 7’s bus stop changes in the Seminole Square Shopping Center. It will also serve the Holiday Inn bus stop on Hydraulic Rd. The Marshalls’ time point will shift to the Hydraulic Road Kroger.
- Route 9 will see a reduction in service hours. Rather than operating from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM, Monday through Saturday, the route will run from 7:00 AM to 8:30 PM. In addition, two bus stops located near the Rose Hill Drive and Rugby Avenue intersection will see minor location modifications. (#19906 and #13853). Lastly, the route’s time points will move from the Health Department to the YMCA.
- Route 10 will see a minor alignment modification near the Social Security Administration Office. The route will now exit onto Richmond Road near the Chick-Fil-A.
- Route 12 will share all of Route 7’s bus stop changes.
- No changes will occur on Routes 2, 3, 4, 6, and 11.
Passengers may download a digital copy of the new Rider’s Guide at www.CatchTheCAT.org. Hard copies will be available on CAT buses and at the Downtown Transit Station, Monday, July 30.
Passengers who have questions about the upcoming route changes are encouraged to call 434-970-3649.
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