The US Department of Transportation’s (US DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is launching an investigation into the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), focusing on the agency’s security spending, safety planning, and measures to protect operators and riders.
The announcement followed remarks by US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, who criticised local leaders’ public safety policies and linked them to the killing of Iryna Zarutska, a rider who was fatally attacked at a rail station. The federal review centres on whether CATS is complying with federal safety requirements and taking adequate steps to reduce risks to passengers and employees.
US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said:This administration is taking a whole of government approach to hold progressive, weak politicians accountable for allowing violent assailants to terrorize our public transit systems. At USDOT, that means investigating CATS and other transit agencies to determine whether they are taking the necessary actions to keep riders and transit workers safe.
In a letter to Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, FTA Administrator Marc Molinaro claimed that recent data shows a sharp increase in assaults at CATS. The rate of assaults on transit workers in 2025 is reportedly five times the national average, after being below average the prior two years. CATS reported one major assault in 2024 compared with six so far this year. Crimes against riders are also reported to be three times the national average.
The FTA investigation will assess CATS’s compliance with 49 CFR Part 673, the federal regulation that governs Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans. Investigators will also examine whether CATS has fully implemented General Directive 24-1, issued in September 2024, which requires transit systems to adopt stronger protections against worker assaults.
The agency has given CATS 15 days to provide:
- Plans and actions to reduce crime and fare evasion, including data on fare evasion trends
- Security and safety funding allocations for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, with comparisons to prior years
- Documentation of expenditures that meet federal requirements for safety and security set-asides under Urbanised Area Formula Grants
- Information on non-FTA funding sources, such as Department of Homeland Security grants, dedicated to passenger and worker safety
In addition, federal officials will conduct:
- An assessment of CATS’s Safety Risk Reduction Program related to transit worker assaults
- An evaluation of the effectiveness of measures already in place to address safety concerns
Molinaro’s letter stressed that continued collaboration between USDOT and CATS depends on measurable progress in securing Charlotte’s buses, trains, and stations. The investigation aims to determine whether conditions exist that endanger transit workers and customers, and whether CATS’s current responses are sufficient to meet federal safety standards.
