AGENDA DATE: 11/5/2025
TITLE: MicroCAT Program Update
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Presentation on the MicroCAT service
ITEM TYPE: Regular Information Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Wall, Herrick, Filardo, Barnes, McDermott
PRESENTER (S): Kevin McDermott
LEGAL REVIEW: Not Required
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: The Albemarle County Transit Expansion Plan, completed in early 2022, was a planning exercise funded through a Department of Rail and Public Transit (DRPT) Grant and managed by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District (TJPDC) to evaluate opportunities to expand and improve transit throughout much of the Albemarle County Urban Development Areas. The result of that study was a recommendation to implement a micro-transit service to serve the Pantops and Places 29 - North Development Areas through a pilot program to determine the feasibility of this type of service to address transit needs in those areas. Micro-transit is a relatively new transit mode being implemented across the country. The service is an on-demand, technology-enabled solution that offers real-time trip requests and dynamically routed vehicles. It is primarily designed to provide a “first-mile/ last-mile” transit solution that can take riders to either close-by destinations or transport the rider to and from a transit stop along fixed-bus route where the bus will then take the rider to a farther away destination.
In 2023 Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) applied for and received a $1.94 million demonstration grant to implement micro-transit in the Pantops and Places 29 - North Development Areas. The County committed to a local match for this grant of $388,000. An evaluation was performed by CAT and Albemarle County to determine the operating model and release a Request for Proposals to contract with a micro-transit service provider to operate the service. Following a competitive procurement process, the contract was awarded to VIA to operate the service. This contract was for one year of service with up to three years of possible renewals. During the contracting and planning phase, the County, CAT, and VIA were able to realize additional service areas and operations to enhance the service beyond the initial service area and provide added value to the County’s residents. This included a significant expansion of the service area to cover all the County’s Development Area adjacent to U.S. 29 from Hydraulic Road to Piney Mountain (Attachment A). The service began operating in late October 2023 and has been a tremendous success. In July of this year the service crossed the 100,000-rider mark.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Infrastructure & Placemaking - Invest in infrastructure and amenities that create connection, opportunity, and well-being.
DISCUSSION: The presentation is focused on providing the Board an update on the service as it completes its second year of operations and begins the final year of the grant period. It will cover the operational aspects of the service including ridership, customer feedback, and the financial overview.
BUDGET IMPACT: The Board of Supervisors previously committed funding to support this micro-transit demonstration grant. No additional funding from Albemarle County is requested at this time.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Board receive the update and provide feedback.
ATTACHMENTS:
A - MicroCAT Service Area