PAVE Act
Coverage (13 articles)
MTC Closes Comment Period on CATS Fare Plan With One Cash-Rider Question Unanswered
At the final public hearing on the Charlotte Area Transit System's Fare Modernization Program, public commenter Carson Cohn told the MTC that CATS had promised him an answer over a month ago on whether the new system would force cash riders to pay double for transfer trips — and had not delivered it. CATS staff anticipate requesting MTC adoption at the May 27 meeting, the body's last before the new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority assumes operational control on July 1. The proposal eliminates paper transfers for cash riders while introducing fare capping, a two-hour electronic pass, and an expanded reduced-fare program.
Mecklenburg Approves November Vote on 1-Cent Transit Sales Tax Worth $25 Billion
Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners; City of Charlotte; Mecklenburg Public Transportation Authority (proposed); Southern Coalition for Social Justice; Action NC; Charlotte Area Transit System
Malcolm Graham, District 2: Record, Committees, Corridors, Transit, and 2025 Ballot
Malcolm Graham chairs Jobs & Economic Development, represents Charlotte's Historic West End, and has a long record on transit, corridors, and high-profile votes. Here's what he's done and what's next.
Mecklenburg's One-Cent Transit Tax Heads to November Ballot—Here's What the Fine Print Really Says
Mecklenburg commissioners advanced a 1-cent sales tax question despite word-smithing wars. Critics call it fuzzy math; supporters say state law ties their hands.
MPTA Appointments Advance After a Marathon Process
Charlotte City Council confirmed four new members to the long-anticipated Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority board after a multi-day interview marathon.
Charlotte's Red Line, Explained: The Commuter Rail That Took 25 Years to Start Building
Charlotte owns the railroad tracks, has a design contract, and a state law mandating the Red Line gets built before anything else. What it doesn't have yet is a train — and this commuter corridor has been 25 years in the making.
Charlotte's $50 Million Housing Bond Is a Non-Starter. Council Said So Monday.
City staff proposed cutting Charlotte's affordable housing bond from $100 million to $50 million in the FY2027 budget. Council members from across the dais rejected the number, with Mayfield requesting modeling at $200M–$300M and Graham calling $50M a non-starter. The November 2026 bond referendum is the deadline.
What Is the MPTA? Charlotte's New Transit Authority, Explained
The Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA) is Charlotte's new regional transit authority, created after voters approved a half-cent sales tax in November 2025. It assumes control of CATS on July 1, 2026, overseeing a $19.4 billion, 30-year transit investment plan.
How Charlotte's Transit Tax Works: What You're Paying, Where It Goes, and Who Controls It
Mecklenburg County voters approved a one-cent sales tax increase in November 2025. The PAVE Act splits the revenue 40/40/20 between roads, rail, and bus service — generating roughly $490 million annually. Here is how the money works and who controls it.
What Happened to CATS? How Charlotte's Transit System Went From City Department to Regional Authority
By July 1, 2026, CATS as a City of Charlotte department will cease to exist, absorbed into the new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority. Here's how Charlotte's transit system went from city department to regional authority — and what it means.
Gateway Station: Two Council Members Say Charlotte Has Waited Long Enough
At Monday's FY2027 budget workshop, Council Members Anderson and Graham pushed for a Gateway Station progress update and connected it to the stalled CTC redevelopment and the former EpiCentre. With PAVE Act revenue arriving July 1, the 25-year-old transit project has new funding — and new political pressure.
Charlotte's Silver Line, Explained: The $3.3 Billion Light Rail That Already Shrank Before Construction Started
The original plan was 29 miles of light rail from Belmont to Indian Trail — through the airport, through Uptown, and into Union County. Charlotte got federal money. What followed was a lesson in what $19.4 billion buys when ambition meets infrastructure reality.
Who Will Run Charlotte's New Transit Authority? Inside the 27-Seat MPTA Board
Charlotte's new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority will control nearly twenty billion dollars in transit and road spending. Here is who appoints its 27 members, who is already in the seats, and what they can actually do.