The highs and lows of recent months for CATS CEO John Lewis: A timeline
Charlotte Area Transit System CEO John Lewis has resigned, effective Nov. 30. He’s been head of the city’s public transit organization for seven years.
The last several years have been particularly turbulent, with CATS navigating significant challenges with its workforce and ridership.
Here is a timeline of some recent highs and lows involving CATS and Lewis:
▪ September 2022: Lewis says voters won’t see a tax referendum on their ballot this year, but a small increase will be necessary in building two new rail lines in Mecklenburg County.
▪ The CATS bus driver union rejected a contract that would raise wages by $2 an hour but reduce the number of unexcused absences drivers have.
▪ August 2022: CATS removed trips on some bus routes. On others, it made temporary bus and rail service changes. This was due largely to driver vacancies and lack of staffing during certain times.
▪ Opening of Phase 2 of CityLYNX Gold Line. The 2.5-mile extension connects Historic West End along Trade Street with the Elizabeth neighborhood through the uptown Charlotte Transportation Center. A third phase of the Gold Line would extend north along Beatties Ford Road and east to the old Eastland Mall site on Central Avenue. Further progress is dependent upon funding, CEO John Lewis says.
▪ July: In a memo to Charlotte City Council, City Manager Marcus Jones revealed he hired an outside management consulting firm to make recommendations on stabilizing CATS. Jones cited “significant external operational challenges” at CATS, trouble with employee morale and the possibility that Charlotte will change its contract affecting bus service.
▪ June: Lewis reported CATS had experienced a bus driver shortage since May, and now it’s beginning to affect routes.
“In my over 24 years of service in public transit, I’ve never been in a position where it has been difficult to hire bus operators,” Lewis tells the Metropolitan Transit Commission.
At the time, CATS had 74 of its 571 paid bus operator positions open, Lewis said.
▪ April: CATS announced plans to buy 18 electric buses and charging equipment for almost $23 million by the end of the year, launching a critical initial investment as the city aims to transition to an entirely electric fleet over the coming decade.
The purchase is part of a pilot program, spanning 12 to 18 months, with eTransEnergy, a subsidiary of Duke Energy.
▪ February: Ethan Rivera, a 41-year-old CATS bus driver, was shot and killed in a road-rage incident.
The shooting prompted outcry about driver working conditions. The Southern Workers Assembly, a network of unions and other worker groups, calls for bullet-resistant partitions and security on evening transit routes, among other measures.
This story was originally published October 13, 2022 at 4:10 PM.
