It wasn’t just Charlotte’s Blue Line with ridership drop after Iryna Zarutska’s death
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Ridership on Charlotte light rails fell 9.7% in September compared to last year
- South End stations during nights and weekends were most impacted
- The city is implementing new safety measures following a fatal stabbing
Ridership across Charlotte light rail stations was down by nearly 10% last month in the wake of Iryna Zarutska’s fatal stabbing on the Blue Line in August.
Year-over-year ridership data shared with the Metropolitan Transit Commission on Wednesday show the Blue Line, a light rail line with its northern terminus in University City and southern end near I-485, experienced a 10.2% decrease in September ridership. The Gold Line, a streetcar from Johnson C Smith University to Plaza Midwood, had 5.2% fewer riders.
A report from the Charlotte Area Transit System noted ridership was disproportionately lower on the Blue Line’s South End stations compared to others, especially on nights and weekends.
Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was killed around 9:45 p.m. while riding a train in South End. The man charged in her killing is 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr., who had a reported history of mental health issues.
CATS attributed the decrease partly to having one less home game for the Carolina Panthers this year. Home games are a “significant driver” of light rail traffic, the report said.
The Lynx Blue Line had 492,021 riders this month compared to 549,083 riders in September 2024. The CityLynx Gold Line had 62,733 riders compared to 66,172 last year. That represents a decline of 9.7% across all rail stations, or around 60,000 fewer passengers.
It’s not immediately clear which days were the start of the ridership drop. Zarutska’s killing occurred Aug. 22, but a video of her killing drove broader, national attention to the crime. The Charlotte Observer has submitted a records request for more specific data.
Local bus routes were also down by 1.4%, or more than 10,000 passengers. Bus ridership, meanwhile, increased by thousands of riders on express routes. Local express route ridership rose by 17.5%, and regional express routes saw a 9% increase.
The city announced several safety initiatives after the stabbing thrust Charlotte’s transit system into the national spotlight.
CATS announced it would ramp up fare enforcement efforts and entered into an agreement with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to deploy off-duty officers for 966 hours per week to assist the private company contracted for transit security.
City Council also voted to expand the jurisdiction of the security contract firm, Professional Security Services, which does business as Professional Police Services. Contracted officers can now enforce laws and make arrests along the entire rail trail and areas adjacent to transit property.
