Half of Charlotte transit riders aren’t paying. CATS wants $10M to fix that
The Charlotte Area Transit System is asking for a $10 million bump in its safety and security budget.
The extra money would create a fare inspection team whose sole job is to make sure passengers are buying tickets, and it would continue a program that pays off-duty police officers for supplemental security services. If approved, safety spending would total about $31.8 million.
The request follows a difficult year for CATS and its passengers. The transit system landed in the national spotlight following multiple train stabbings, including the high-profile death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on the Blue Line light rail in August.
Brent Cagle, the interim CEO of CATS, told the City Council during a meeting on Monday that about half of all bus and light rail riders are not paying their fares, with rail evasion most common. That has cost the city around $3 million to $5 million in annual revenue.
Data provided to The Charlotte Observer through a public records request shows fare enforcement efforts significantly decreased between 2015 and 2024, with collected evasion fees dropping from over $10,000 to just $600. The man charged in Zarutska’s killing did not purchase a ticket, CATS officials previously said.
CATS started deploying off-duty Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers in response late last year. The requested budget, presented during the Monday meeting, would continue funding this program for about 1,400 hours per week.
CATS also told city leaders it has already ramped up fare enforcement, but a standalone enforcement team would be a first.
Charlotte has already been investing considerably more in transit safety. Between 2022 and 2025, security spending grew from $5.9 million to about $18.4 million.
And security personnel more than doubled under a contract approved by the City Council in 2024. Most of the new hires were unarmed, however, with the city pivoting away from armed security.
The city has more money to work with this year after voters approved a 1% sales tax increase to support regional mobility projects. The sales tax is projected to bring in more than $360 million this year.
What else is CATS asking for in 2027 budget?
Beyond safety, CATS also asked the City Council for $2 million to expand microtransit. The new rideshare-style service launched last year as a cheaper alternative to apps such as Uber and Lyft. It picks up passengers in designated microtransit zones and transports them anywhere therein.
About $70 million would go toward new bus purchases to help expand routes in the future. Buses take about 18 months to manufacture, said Brent Cagle, the interim CATS CEO.
And CATS wants an additional $6 million to support its Better Bus plan, which is designed to improve the bus riding experience across the city. Cagle said he anticipates making at least 100 bus stop improvements this year.
“There will ultimately be more than 2,000 improvements,” Cagle said. “As we look for ways to be more efficient and do this faster, if we get 100 done and we’re not through with the year, we’re gonna keep going.”
Improvements will not look the same at every stop, though. Some stations might have benches and shelters added, while others might only receive lighting upgrades. Which amenities a stop receives will depend on how many people use it, Cagle said.
Multiple council members voiced displeasure over that disparity, including Malcolm Graham of District 2.
“It rains on two people the same way it rains on 100,” Graham said. “The standards should be the same throughout the system.”
The CATS budget must still come before council four more times before it gets approved and will also undergo a public hearing planned for May 11.
This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 8:54 PM.
