Cities Area Transit

Cities Area Transit (CAT) is the public transportation system in the neighboring cities of Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota. The scheduled transit bus routes are operated by the city of Grand Forks and service is provided to East Grand Forks through a cost-sharing agreement.^[1] Paratransit for those who are unable to use the regular bus under the ADA, and a service for seniors, are provided under contract by Grand Forks Taxi.^[2][3]

Cities Area Transit

A Cities Area Transit bus at the Downtown Transit Center in Grand Forks.
Headquarters	255 North 4th Street, Grand Forks, ND
Service area	Grand Forks, North Dakota East Grand Forks, Minnesota
Service type	Bus service, Dial-a-Ride
Routes	13
Fleet	39
Daily ridership	710 Riders Per Day (2023)
Annual ridership	258,970 (2023)
Website	Grand Forks City Bus

History

Public transportation in Grand Forks was originally provided by the Grand Forks Street Railway Company which operated five street car lines that connected Downtown Grand Forks with the University of North Dakota campus, the Grand Forks County fairgrounds, the neighborhoods of Lincoln Park and Riverside Park, and the community of East Grand Forks, Minnesota. The service completely switched over to buses on July 1, 1934.^[4]

Routes

Routes generally run from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm Monday-Friday, and 8:00 am to 10:00 pm on Saturday (No service is offered Sundays or federal holidays). A Night route covers the city from approximately 5:55 pm to 10:00 pm, with service finishing for the night at 10:00 pm. Routes operate once per hour unless otherwise noted. The #4 and #6 offer coordinated service once every 30 minutes along the University Avenue corridor (the individual branches operate once per hour). Additionally, the #12 and #13 complement each other, with the #12 operating eastbound, and becoming a westbound #13 on the return trip. A similar arrangement exists with the #8 and #9. The #10 and #11 offer 2 buses per hour between the central portion of East Grand Forks, and the Metro Transit Center. The #1 and #2 do not overlap, but interline at the Metro Transit Center.

Most routes pass by the Metro Transit Center (which is the location of the headquarters), at 450 Kittson Avenue, with the exception of the #8/9 and #12/13.

Scheduled bus route details are listed below:^[5][6]

Name	Description	Notes
Red Route 1	UND Campus - Downtown - Midtown
Red Route 2	Midtown - Downtown – Near North
Orange Route 3	Altru Main Campus – Midtown - Downtown	Hospital express service. Operates every 30 minutes for 6:30 am – 6:00 pm. Operates every 1 hour for 6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Orange Route 4	Downtown - Northland College – Campbell Library	East Grand Forks north major shopping and educational services areas
Green Route 5	Downtown – UND Campus - West Walmart	UND service runs east and west along University Avenue. Operates every 15-30 minutes
Light Blue Route 6	Northland College – Campbell Library - Downtown	East Grand Forks north major shopping and educational services areas
Blue Route 7	Downtown – Midtown – Columbia Mall
Purple Route 8	UND Campus - Altru Main Campus - Columbia Mall	UND service runs east and west along University Avenue
Pink Route 9	Columbia Mall - Alerus Center - UND Campus	UND service runs east and west along University Avenue
Gold Route 10	Midtown - Altru Professional Center - Walmart
Black Route 12	East Grand Forks Monday-Friday Only	7:00 am – 10:00 am and 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Grey Route 13	Evening Service Only	5:55 pm – 10:00 pm

Fares

The Cities Area Transit fares are:^[7]

Type	Cash Fare	10-Ride Card	31-Day Pass	14-Day Pass	Day Pass	Summer Pass
Adult	$1.50	$13.00	$35.00	$18.00	$5.00	N/A
K-12 Student	$0.75	$6.50	$35.00	$18.00	$5.00	$18.00
Seniors Age 62+	$0.60	$5.25	$35.00	$18.00	$5.00	N/A
Disabled Card Holder	$0.60	$5.25	$35.00	$18.00	$5.00	N/A
Medicare Card Holder	$0.60	$5.25	$35.00	$18.00	$5.00	N/A

Downtown Transfer Station

Metro Transit Center in Downtown Grand Forks

The Downtown Transfer Station, also known as the Metro Transit Center, is located at 450 Kittson Avenue and serves as the primary hub for Cities Area Transit. The hub serves eight routes, as well as providing intercity bus service through Jefferson Lines.

Fixed route ridership

The ridership and service statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response. Per capita statistics are based on the Grand Forks urbanized area as reported in NTD data. Starting in 2011, 2010 census numbers replace the 2000 census numbers to calculate per capita statistics.^[8]

A CATS Bus at UND in 2021

	Ridership	Change	Ridership per capita
2005	226,598	n/a	4.01
2006	217,116	04.18%	3.84
2007	215,234	00.87%	3.8
2008	257,816	019.78%	4.56
2009	271,704	05.39%	4.8
2010	282,615	04.02%	5.0
2011	328,880	016.37%	5.37
2012	371,242	012.88%	6.06
2013	364,317	01.87%	5.95
2014	346,673	04.84%	5.66
2015	336,652	02.89%	5.49
2016	317,992	05.54%	5.19
2017	280,289	011.86%	4.57
2018	253,657	09.5%	4.14
2019	225,141	011.24%	3.67
2020	141,914	036.97%	2.32
2021	174,762	023.15%	2.85
2022	233,844	033.81%	3.82
2023	258,970	010.74%	4.23

See also

• List of bus transit systems in the United States
• MATBUS
• Minot City Transit