Lost jobs, failing classes: Riders feel the impacts of problems with Charlotte’s bus system (Axios)
Bus riders are falling behind in their classes, being fired from their jobs and moving across town as a result of the Charlotte Area Transit system’s woes.
For some 13,000 of Charlotte residents who don’t have access to a car, public transit is a necessity. Plus, getting people out of their cars is one of the city’s goals to reduce emissions and traffic.
Axios Charlotte solicited feedback from transit riders as part of recent coverage of bus driver concerns and CATS’ issues.
Many said that buses have been more reliable since CATS reduced frequencies of some routes after missing hundreds of trips due to driver shortages. Still, they said system-wide issues persist. O
ur Meg Fencil was interviewed for the story. Meg told Axios the number 16 bus, which she takes from near Tyvola Road to just south of uptown for work, has been more dependable since CATS’ changes. CATS says the number of missed trips has declined significantly since making the service cuts.
There have been a few instances where Meg noticed the CATS’ app showed a bus was coming — and then it never did, and eventually it disappeared from the app. She said she supports the new bus schedules in the short-term, but “we can’t let this become the new status quo.”