Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Transit Authority (CARTA)

The legislature provided for the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Transit Authority (CARTA) as early as 2009 with subsequent amendments. The authority is initially established as a service delivery organization, with the contracting, financial (including bonding), and acquisition and operating powers necessary. Its authority is for transit. Charlottesville and “all or portions of Albemarle County” are the essential boundaries, but additional portions of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties, tourist-driven and public transit agencies, and higher education agencies may join as members. The governing board is comprised of two Charlottesville Council members, two Albemarle County Commissioners, and one commissioner from each other county; other members are represented by non-voting members. There is no provision in the current CARTA legislation for funding; public funding would need to come from federal, commonwealth, and local funds.

With the exception of funding authority, the existing CARTA legislation possesses the fundamental structure and make-up of a regional transit authority that could serve Region 10. The 2023 Regional Transit Governance Study recommended that regional stakeholders adopt the existing structure in the interim while an ideal transit authority that has potential to accomplish regional goals is pursued. The current CARTA board is tasked with to identifying new funding opportunities for the transit services identified in the Regional Transit Vision Plan and develop a governance structure to manage the new revenue and regional transit planning.