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Authority and Responsibilities

Urban transit has had a long and varied history in Anderson from the old interurban to the establishment of the present public transit system in 1973. Originally established as a municipal transit utility, the City of Anderson Transportation System (CATS) became a department of the City in 1982.

As a City department, CATS falls under the jurisdiction of the Board of Public Works. The Board selects the general manager of CATS with the concurrence of the mayor. The Board is responsible for the following: overseeing the day-to-day operations of the department, adopting transit goals and policy objectives, specifying CATS’ management structure, approving fare and service modifications and bids for capital purchases, settling major issues or disputes, and recommending operating and capital budgets to the City Council. The City Council reviews and approves CATS’ departmental budget on an annual basis. CATS’ management is responsible for implementing the daily operations of the transit system. This includes: promoting the service through a marketing program, hiring and firing of employees, assigning buses and drivers to routes, purchasing materials and supplies, maintaining equipment and facilities, implementing service improvements, managing the system’s finances, and monitoring the total operation.

The Anderson City Planning Department (ACPD) performs research and development activities for CATS. The ACPD’s responsibilities include: measuring transit service needs of the City’s population, researching and developing effective methods for improving transit service delivery, assessing the potential impacts of proposed improvements, preparing grants and assisting with budgets, evaluating the performances of the transit service in respect to achieving goals and objectives specified by the Board of Works, lending assistance to CATS’ management in preparing grants for capital and operating monies, and advising the Board of Works.

Personnel and Organizational Structure

CATS is under the direction of the Mayor and Board of Works. With this, the City Controller, Purchasing Department, and City Planning also assist CATS. The General Manager is responsible for the daily operations of the system, most of which occur out of the main office at 530 Baxter Road.