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Redesigning the future of the CATS system

A lot has happened (and not happened) since the CATS 2030 System Plan was adopted in 2006. While we’ve seen a lot of excellent developments in that time period including the opening of the Blue Line light rail and its extension, the Gold Line streetcar, addition of crosstown bus routes to reduce the spoke & hub nature of the network, and express routes on managed lanes. But the long hoped for new local funding source that would dramatically expand the transit system has not yet materialized. 

It’s time for an update! Before deciding how to efficiently and equitably spend new transit funding, we need a plan that reflects the up-to-date needs of riders. CATS has launched a survey to gather public input to inform the update of the Transit System Plan. 

At Monday’s City Council Transportation, Planning & Development committee meeting, interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle emphasized the importance of improving bus service, which is used by 60% of CATS customers. ‘Bus is the backbone of every transit system, ours included.”

CATS system plan

Your turn!

We have a once in a generation opportunity to give input that will shape the future of the CATS transit system. Please take the survey to share your needs, concerns, and ideas. This is your opportunity to speak up for more fast, frequent, reliable, and connected public transportation. 

Want to learn more and hear directly from CATS and CDOT staff? Join us this Wednesday, December 11th as Sustain Charlotte hosts the final Impact 704 Academy session and we explore the topic of equitable transportation choices. Event guest speakers will be CDOT Deputy Director Charlie Jones and CATS Senior Project Manager Andy Mock. Register here. 

Addressing deficiencies

Cagle reviewed the findings of a Special Maintenance Review audit from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), along with the actions that CATS has taken to address them. There were 8 findings in the audit. 

  • 2 findings  were about CATS’ delay on light rail car maintenance prior to Cagle’s arrival. CATS entered into a contract with Siemens last year to complete all of the required maintenance.
  • 2 findings were related to the bus fleet. CATS’ standard for the “road calls” metric, or how often a broken down bus out on the road is called in by a bus driver, was not routinely being met. Cagle attributed this to the aging bus fleet. CATS has acquired 35 new buses and has 35 on order, so this fleet replacement process will improve the road call metric. 
  • The other bus fleet metric is about “dead line” bus lanes in the maintenance facility where buses are stored before being decommissioned, if they’re in a pending investigation, or for other reasons. The FTA recommended that buses not be held there for an extended time period, and CATS is moving the buses as is appropriate.
  • 2 findings were about facilities and assets. CATS had failed to inspect bridges on time along the Blue Line. The inspections are now complete and all corrective actions have been taken. The FTA recommends that CATS develop a plan for implementing facility assessments. CATS now has a new head of Facility Maintenance and a Transit Asset Manager to be proactive and ensure that maintenance of both vehicles and facilities doesn’t ever again fall through the cracks.
  • There was a recommendation for CATS to centralize its transit management asset systems. CATS is negotiating a software contractor to create a system to do this.
  • 2 findings were about reporting and documentation . They’re working to standardize key performance indicators and develop better reports to CATS’ executive team, the MTC, and City Council. CATS’ self-audits were acknowledged as being done well by the FTA, but they requested more formal documentation of those audits and reporting. 

The FTA complimented CATS’ system for maintaining bus and paratransit fleet, and buses were generally clean and in good condition. 

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