CATS and City of Rock Hill Partner to Provide the Celanese Corridor Express

10/23/2009

Charlotte, NC, October 22, 2009 - The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), the City of Rock Hill and York County have partnered to bring citizens the Celanese Corridor Express bus service beginning Monday, October 26, 2009. The 78x Celanese Corridor Express will be the first regional express service to connect to the LYNX Blue Line I-485/South Boulevard light rail station.

The 78x Celanese Corridor Express is a weekday express service that will provide park and ride opportunities at Market at Museum, 4124 Celanese Rd, Rock Hill, SC and Northwoods Square Shopping Center, Rock Hill, SC. Route 78x will also provide passengers with the opportunity to transfer to any bus route that connects to the LYNX Blue Line.

“In 2001, CATS and the City of Rock Hill partnered to begin the first regional express service from South Carolina to Uptown Charlotte. Since then, the 82x Rock Hill Express has carried more than 320,000 customers,” said Larry Kopf, Interim Manager of Bus Operations. “We are working together again to launch this new service connecting Rock Hill riders to numerous employment and educational opportunities along the South Corridor and to eighteen bus routes that serve the LYNX Blue Line.”

"The addition of route 78x is an important step to mitigating the congestion and air issues caused by so much automobile traffic, especially along the Celanese corridor," said Carey Smith, Rock Hill City Manager. "The partnership with CATS and the start of route 78x represents an important benefit to our growing community."

The operation of Route 78x Celanese Corridor Express is funded 100 percent by the City of Rock Hill and York County, along with a grant from FTA and SCDOT. The regular cash fare will be $3.00 per trip. The route offers three morning trips and three evening trips. The service will also provide one morning reverse commute trip to Rock Hill and one evening reverse commute trip from Rock Hill for passengers traveling from Charlotte to Rock Hill.

Passengers can use their 10-ride Express Plus pass on the bus both to and from the I-485/South Blvd. station or on another bus route. However, 10-ride passes are not valid on the LYNX Blue Line. Passengers transferring from the 78x Celanese Corridor Express to the LYNX Blue Line must request a LYNX Roundtrip Express Plus Transfer upon boarding the bus. The transfer will be valid for the trip both to and from Uptown onboard the LYNX Blue Line.

To learn more about the 78x Celanese Corridor Express and CATS services, call 704-336-RIDE (7433) or visit us on the web at www.ridetransit.org.

Contact:

Judy Dellert-O’Keef (704) 432-0477
Jean Leier (704) 432-0496