PR7909STS

Charlotte, N.C., July 9, 2009 - Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Special Transportation Services (STS) is teaming up with Guiding Eyes for the Blind on Saturday, July 11, at 9:00 a.m. to help familiarize 10 future guide dogs with CATS’ STS buses. The training will take place at STS, which is located at 545 Spratt Street in North Charlotte.

As part of the training, the dogs must guide their owners on and off the bus by positioning themselves by the bus steps and learn how to ride on the lifts used for boarding and unloading passengers. CATS STS buses will take the dogs and handlers on a trip around the city so the dogs can get comfortable with different vehicles and know where to be inside the bus. Guide dogs will be trained to learn everything there is to know about the travel environment.

It is estimated that there are approximately 10,000 guide dog teams currently working in the United States. Guiding Eyes raises and trains guide dogs, and trains students to work with guide dogs that have been carefully selected to match their individual needs. Some of the common breeds of guide dogs include Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds. If you are interested in becoming a puppy raiser for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, please call 1-800-942-0149 or log onto their website at www.guidingeyes.org.

STS provides door-to-door transportation for individuals who are certified according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ride within Charlotte's City limits. In FY2009 STS operated 85 vehicles and provided 239,647 rides.

For more information about CATS and its services, call 704-336-RIDE (7433) or visit us on the web at www.ridetransit.org.

Official City of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County Government Web Site