Out here in the Marvin and Waxhaw area, the Charlotte Area Transit System can feel like someone else's concern. The buses and the light rail belong to the city, the tax that funds them is a Mecklenburg County tax, and Firethorne sits on the Union County side of the line.
The system is still changing hands in a way worth knowing about, especially if your week includes a drive into Charlotte. On July 1 a new regional body, the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority, takes over CATS from the City of Charlotte. On June 24 the new authority cleared the last requirement the state set for the handoff. Operations move July 1. The staff and computer systems follow on January 1, 2027.
The part that reaches across the county line: the long-planned Silver Line light rail is mapped to run east toward Indian Trail, in Union County. It is years away and far from certain, but the board now steering it is the one that just took control.
We are last to breaking news, on purpose. For the full account, who runs the authority and what changes when, our colleagues at The Charlotte Mercury have it.