RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — NC By Train, the state’s passenger rail service, is partnering with the Charlotte Area Transportation System (CATS) to give passengers a free bus ride for select Carolina Panthers’ home games this year.
“In addition to adjusting train schedules to provide NC By Train customers with two options to get to Charlotte before the 1 p.m. kickoff, CATS bus Route 11 has recently been adjusted to better accommodate NC By Train’s arrival and departure times. CATS is also offering a free transit pass to get fans who ride the train the first and last mile to the game,” according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Transportation.
After riders get their train ticket, they can download the CATS-Pass app and use the promo code FootballRide23 for a free day pass to ride the CATS system on game day.
Customers who cannot download the app can request a free transit pass at the ticket counter at the Charlotte Amtrak Station, but physical pass quantities are limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. One-way fare for the bus is $2.20 and exact change is required, if paying in cash.
On Oct. 29, Nov. 19, and Dec. 24, people can take Piedmont train 71 to arrive in Charlotte at 9:28 a.m. or Piedmont train 73, which will leave Raleigh Union Station at an adjusted early departure time of 8:40 a.m. arriving in Charlotte at noon, according to the release.
With the free transit pass, train passengers can then choose between two Route 11 CATS buses, one that stops on the property at the Charlotte Amtrak Station or one that arrives across the street at North Tryon Street and Dalton Avenue, to ride to the Charlotte Transportation Center (CTC), located at 310 Trade St.
Once at the CTC, riders have the option to walk to Bank of America Stadium or use the free day pass to ride the LYNX Blue Line south to the Brooklyn Village Avenue Station and finish the trip with a short walk to Bank of America Stadium.
After the game, train riders can walk or ride back to to the CTC and catch the CATS Route 11 bus to North Tryon Street and Dalton Avenue across from the Charlotte Amtrak Station. They can then ride Piedmont train 76 leaving Charlotte at 5:30 p.m. or Piedmont train 78, which departs Charlotte at 7:45 p.m.
