Federal Transit Administration Audit of Charlotte Transit System Identifies 18 Areas Where CATS Safety Protocols Fall Short

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today issued a report on the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) identifying 18 areas where CATS has failed to meet federally mandated safety requirements. An FTA audit of CATS found several performance issues including with how the system assesses risk, tracks system fixes, and conducts de-escalation trainings for staff.

The FTA first launched an investigation into CATS last September following the murder of Iryna Zarutska on the system's Lynx Blue Line. As part of FTA's continued focus on the safety of the CATS system, Administrator Marc Molinaro hosted a community roundtable with local community stakeholders on January 16 to discuss safety issues the transit system faces.

"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," said FTA Administrator Marc Molinaro. "We look forward to seeing these 18 points fixed immediately to bolster safety for both transit workers and passengers."

Additional Information:

Last September, FTA audited CATS to determine whether conditions existed that endangered transit workers and customers by assessing CATS's compliance with 49 CFR Part 673, the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (PTASP) program. FTA also evaluated CATS's responses to FTA's directives and correspondence on addressing safety risks related to assaults on transit workers. FTA noted that the rate of assault on transit workers at CATS had risen to five times the national average and passenger crime rates are three times the national average in 2025.

FTA's review included an examination of CATS's Agency Safety Plan (ASP) and related documentation, as well as virtual and on-site interviews to assess the implementation of these safety requirements. The audit found CATS non-compliant with requirements covering Safety Risk Management, safety assurance, the joint labor-management safety committee, the safety risk reduction program, and de-escalation training.

Consequently, FTA has issued 18 findings of non-compliance requiring corrective actions.

Among FTA's areas of concern are:

• CATS has not met the requirements regarding general PTASP safety performance targets.
• CATS is not implementing the safety risk assessment processes established in its ASP when assessing the risk of assaults on transit workers.
• CATS has not met the requirement for the de-escalation training.

CATS must develop and submit corrective action plans to FTA that address all findings listed in the report within 30 days. FTA will review and approve (with revisions as necessary) CATS's corrective action plans and will monitor CATS's progress in resolving each finding and required action. FTA will conduct scheduled meetings with CATS to review its progress until such time as FTA determines that these meetings are no longer needed or may be conducted with less frequency.

The Federal Transit Administration's mission is to improve America's communities through public transportation. FTA provides funding, safety oversight and technical assistance that strengthen the industry's safety culture and practices. Please visit www.transit.dot.gov for more information.

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