CATS

The Charlotte Area Transit System said in a letter to elected officials Monday that it did not "misrepresent or make up data" about the proposed Silver Line light rail. The transit system's comments came in response to a WFAE article.

Last summer, Charlotte Area Transit System recommended that the Silver Line pass through uptown by using Lynx Blue Line and Gold Line streetcar tracks. It said that route would save money and have the most riders and the most economic development potential. Six months later, CATS said something entirely different.

The Charlotte Area Transit System released video footage from a bus that showed a shootout between a passenger and a driver.

Davidson Mayor Rusty Knox said the Metropolitan Transit Commission needs to be changed. He is upset that the city of Charlotte ignored the organization's request to hire an outside consultant to investigate light-rail safety.

The Charlotte Area Transit System said it plans more de-escalation training for bus drivers after a passenger and a driver shot one another on a bus in Steele Creek.

The Metropolitan Transit Commission last month directed the city of Charlotte to hire an outside consultant to investigate the Lynx Blue Line derailment last year. The city has said it won’t do that, and will instead have the federal government speed up an already scheduled audit of the transit agency. That dispute erupted during a meeting Wednesday night, with MTC members and city officials bickering over who has the power to manage the transit system, and even whether the governing board is just a rubber stamp.

The private management company that operates Charlotte’s troubled bus system says it might cut service because not enough drivers are coming to work. At least 40 bus driver positions might be cut this year if attendance doesn't improve.

The Charlotte Area Transit System said on Twitter that the Sunday morning crash involved bus number 2144, which was operating on Route 21.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said a lack of staff inside Charlotte's Rail Operations Control Center has created "nearly overwhelming levels of responsibility" among employees.

The city of Charlotte said it plans to ask the Federal Transit Administration to expedite its review of the Charlotte Area Transit System. The FTA is scheduled to review CATS in 2025.