If you need to visit a bank, a cellular phone store, a dollar" store or even a "SuperTarget" discount store, then you are still within a 10 minute walk to all of those places of interest.
So you are worried about time? Here is a simple $1.40 round trip that consumes about 3 hours of your time in order to eat, exercise, and run errands:
7:45 am Catch Village Rider Route 98 for seventy cents and obtain a transfer ticket.
8:00 am Exit the bus at the Food Lion shopping center and walk over to Hardee's restaurant for breakfast.
8:30 am Use your transfer ticket to catch the Village Rider Route 99 outside of Hardee's.
8:50 am Exit the bus at NorthLake Mall, Walk to BB&T to bank, Walk to SuperTarget for miscellaneous lightweight supplies.
9:45 am Finish up all area shopping and walk back to NorthLake Mall bus stop.
10:00 am Catch the Village Rider 99 for seventy cents and obtain a transfer ticket.
10:30 am Use your transfer ticket to catch the Village Rider 98 back to your original pickup location.
Not a bad deal for under $2.00! Just don't forget to wear sneakers and take a small umbrella!
The CATS Village Riders service the cities of Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville. The regular riders consists of people going to work, grocery shopping, or just retired and need a change of scenery. It is the "country club" of "bus rides."
If you live in the Lake Norman area, have 1 to 3 hours to spare, and could use some exercise, then consider making your next trip a "public transportation" outing.
People have asked me about the timing issue. If you have "time restraints," then the bus is probably not worth your time. Your one hour errands in the car can take from three to six hours using CATS bus system. You literally could drive to Hickory or Rock Hill and return in less time than it would take to use the public transit system going 15 miles away. Seriously, if you have more than enough hours to burn and want to be chauffeured in "coach class" taking the "scenic route," then CATS is an affordable option. Otherwise, you need a car. Taxi-cabs and personal drivers can be great options as well for short distances when the bus system stops running.
ReplyDeleteThe 2012 Democratic National Convention being held this week in Charlotte, North Carolina is forcing everyone to use public transportation such as the Lynx Blue Line which is the main train. Hopefully, Charlotteans will continue to support the CATS /public transportation after the convention is over. Premium gasoline rose to $4.30 per gallon in some areas of Charlotte. I sincerely hope the City of Charlotte invest in more sidewalks. That will create more jobs in Charlotte and Lake Norman areas alone.
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