CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Despite recent struggles, the Charlotte Area Transit System says their ridership is up and they have filed many of their job vacancies.
Brent Cagle, the CATS interim CEO, credits their improving consistency for the ridership increase
“There was a perception that CATS wasn’t reliable," Cagle said.
Cagle told Charlotte City Council on Monday the transit system has been focusing on three different categories:
- Safety and security
- State of good repair, such as having reliable systems and fleet
- Valuing employees, including improved recruitment and retention efforts
“One of the reasons morale was low is we were lacking communication, or robust communication tools with our employees," Cagle said. "We've made significant improvements in talking to staff, letting them know what our values are, what our expectations are, what CATS as an organization is about."
During the presentation, CATS said they are now at a 10% vacancy rate for open job positions. That marks an improvement from a peak of 25%.
Additionally, ridership has also increased by 18% in the 2023-to-2024 fiscal year.
"We are still lower than we were pre-COVID but we're at about 65% recovery from pre-COVID, which is in line with most transit agencies across the country," Cagle explained.
Moving forward, CATS will continue to work on microtransit, which is an on-demand transit service similar to Uber or Lyft; better buses; and continued investment in safety and security.
"We're not perfect, but we're much better," Cagle said.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.