New FTA report finds CATS failed to meet federally mandated safety requirements

A new report from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) detailed 18 areas where the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) has failed to meet federally mandated safety requirements. An FTA audit of CATS found several performance issues, including how the system assesses risk, tracks system fixes and conducts de-escalation training for staff.  

The FTA first launched an investigation into CATS in September 2025 following the murder of Iryna Zarutska on the system’s Lynx Blue Line 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. 

The review included an examination of CATS’s Agency Safety Plan 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. 

On Jan. 16, FTA Administrator Marc Molinaro hosted a community roundtable with local community stakeholders 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," Molinaro said. "We look forward to seeing these 18 points fixed immediately to bolster safety for both transit workers and passengers." 

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.