Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
A federal audit determined Charlotte’s transit authority failed to meet safety mandates.
A report published Feb. 2 by the Federal Transit Administration identified 18 areas where CATS failed to meet federally mandated safety requirements. The audit of local compliance with Public Transportation Safety Plans found issues that include CATS’s assessment of risk, track repairs, and de-escalation training for staff.
FTA launched its probe in September following the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska on the Lynx Blue Line a month earlier. Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was charged with murder as well as a federal charge of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. He has pleaded not guilty.
Federal officials also evaluated CATS’s responses to federal directives on addressing safety risks to transit workers related to assaults – which was found to be five times the national average. Passenger crime rates were three times the national average in 2025.
“FTA is determined to do its part to address the systemic failures within Charlotte’s transit system that led to Iryna Zarutska’s tragic death,” FTA Administrator Marc Molinaro said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing these 18 points fixed immediately to bolster safety for both transit workers and passengers.”
Molinaro hosted a community roundtable in January with local transit stakeholders.
Among the report’s findings, CATS:
- Failed to meet requirements regarding general Public Transportation Agency Safety Programs performance targets.
- Didn’t implement safety risk assessment processes in its agency safety plan when assessing the risk of assaults on transit workers.
- Missed the requirement for de-escalation training.
City leaders announced last year steps to address safety upgrades on routes and vehicles. In October, Mayor Vi Lyles said the city collaborated with the White House and federal officials to add patrol units and new equipment like bike teams and all-terrain vehicles to boost security.
“These are the things that we are doing,” she said. “These steps are in motion. Our city departments, CATS leadership and federal and state partners are sitting at the same table, sharing information and coordinating and collaborating each step of the way safety is taking care if all of us work together. And I want to be clear that I often hear from our neighbors, our residents, the people that live in this great city, who just want to feel safe.”
The federal review included an examination of CATS’ safety plan and related documents, as well as virtual and on-site interviews to assess implementation of the requirements. The audit found non-compliance with government requirements covering safety risk management, joint labor-management safety committee, safety risk reduction, and de-escalation training.
CATS leaders must develop and submit corrective action plans within 30 days. After FTA’s review, the federal agency will monitor CATS’s progress and conduct meetings to review developments.
