North Carolina Cats Faces Federal Review After Rising Crime Threatens Travel Safety In Charlotte, Update You Need To Know

Published on September 11, 2025

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) of North Carolina is facing a national reappraisal aft rising crime has threatened nan recreation information successful nan city. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced that nan Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is launching an investigation into CATS’ information measures, pursuing a troubling summation successful assaults connected some passengers and transit workers. The reappraisal will attraction connected evaluating whether nan transit system’s information plans and information spending are capable to reside nan increasing risks. This national action comes aft nan tragic execution of Iryna Zarutska, a rider killed connected a CATS bus, which highlighted nan vulnerability of some workers and riders successful nan look of escalating violence. With assaults connected transit workers rising sharply, nan FTA intends to find if CATS is doing capable to guarantee safe recreation for all. The investigation is portion of broader efforts to amended nationalist proscription information nationwide.

The decease of Iryna Zarutska successful a convulsive onslaught has brought nationalist attraction to nan information conditions connected CATS buses and trains. Despite efforts by section leaders to downplay nan issue, nan incident underscores nan dire request for enhanced information wrong nan transit system. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has criticized nan soft connected crime policies that he believes allowed nan crime to occur, starring to his telephone for a national reappraisal of CATS’ information measures.

In his statement, Duffy explained that nan management was adopting a whole-of-government attack to clasp progressive, anemic politicians accountable for enabling convulsive assailants to terrorize nationalist transit systems. He added that astatine nan U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), this meant investigating CATS and different transit agencies to measure whether they were taking nan basal actions to guarantee nan information of some riders and transit workers.

The FTA’s investigation will chiefly attraction connected nan information spending and information plans successful spot to protect some operators and passengers. The caller statistic item a concerning trend, arsenic nan number of assaults connected transit workers astatine CATS has accrued importantly successful 2025. The existent battle complaint is now 5 times nan nationalist average, compared to only 1 awesome battle successful 2024. Additionally, crimes against passengers person tripled compared to nan nationalist average, raising alarms for some section authorities and national officials.

The investigation will measure whether nan Charlotte transit strategy has complied pinch nan information protocols outlined nether 49 CFR Part 673, nan Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans program. Specifically, nan FTA will reappraisal nan agency’s responses to directives aimed astatine mitigating information risks, peculiarly regarding assaults connected transit workers. This reappraisal is designed to guarantee that measures are being implemented efficaciously to curb nan escalating unit connected nan system.

The FTA has requested elaborate accusation from CATS astir its backing for information and information measures. CATS must taxable a study wrong 15 days outlining its actions to trim crime and fare evasion, including information connected crime trends and antecedently implemented actions. The study must besides see specifications astir security-related costs allocated for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. This includes some Federal Transit Administration (FTA) costs and immoderate non-FTA funds, specified arsenic those from nan Department of Homeland Security, that are directed toward improving safety.

The FTA is besides asking CATS to supply a broad breakdown of expenditures related to information and information programs, including budgeted costs for crime prevention and fare evasion. This will see comparisons to prior-year spending to measure whether backing allocations are capable to reside nan increasing information concerns. In particular, nan FTA will measure whether CATS has met nan information superior projects group speech request for Urbanized Area Formula Grants, arsenic mandated by national law.

In summation to nan financial analysis, nan FTA will measure CATS’ Safety Risk Reduction Program, focusing connected really good nan strategy is addressing nan consequence of assaults connected transit workers. This includes evaluating nan effectiveness of mitigation strategies that person been implemented successful consequence to earlier directives issued by nan FTA. General Directive 24-1, which was issued by nan FTA successful September 2024, called for contiguous actions to protect transit workers from violence.

With crime rates connected nan rise, nan FTA’s reappraisal of CATS will besides see nan agency’s wide information civilization and its committedness to maintaining a unafraid situation for some workers and riders. The national reappraisal is simply a captious measurement toward ensuring that nan increasing threats to nationalist information connected Charlotte’s transit strategy are adequately addressed.

While nan national investigation takes shape, concerns proceed to equine for some transit workers and passengers successful Charlotte. The summation successful assaults and crimes against transit workers and passengers has near galore questioning whether nan existing information measures are sufficient. As incidents for illustration nan tragic decease of Iryna Zarutska summation nationalist attention, section leaders are nether unit to enactment decisively to curb unit and forestall further tragedies.

In consequence to nan national investigation, CATS has vowed to cooperate afloat pinch nan FTA and nutrient a transparent, measurable scheme to heighten nan information of its buses, trains and stations. The result of nan national reappraisal could style nan early of nan transit strategy and nan information measures implemented crossed nan network.

The national reappraisal of nan Charlotte Area Transit System comes astatine a captious juncture arsenic information concerns proceed to grow. With a important emergence successful assaults and criminal activity, nan FTA’s investigation will find whether CATS has adequately addressed nan risks facing some its workers and commuters. The findings could lead to important changes successful nan measurement nan strategy operates and really transit agencies crossed nan state reside rising crime wrong nationalist proscription networks.