transit

If you follow Charlotte’s transit plans, you’ve probably heard one of the newer terms: mobility hubs. So we’ve decided to devote our main story in this Transit Time newsletter to the simple question: What is a mobility hub?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is short 82 drivers needed to fully staff routes when school starts Aug. 28. Districts across the country are facing driver shortages.

The Charlotte Area Transit System will be getting a new management company to run its troubled bus system. The city currently contracts with RATP Dev. But the bus system has been plagued by lower ridership and a high number of unexcused driver absences, which has led to routes being canceled.

Runaway costs are impacting transit projects across the nation, and experts aren’t sure why — though the increasing use of consultants, who are generally more expensive than in-house staff, is one reason experts point to. Charlotte's recent approval of a $1 million per year contract is one example.

A recent Charlotte conference — the 31st annual Congress for the New Urbanism — drew some 1,400 planners, activists, engineers and architects from around the U.S. and the world here two weeks ago.

The Charlotte Area Transit System said Tuesday that the general manager for rail operations, Deltrin Harris, has been placed on administrative leave.WBTV first reported the news. CATS did not disclose the reason. The transit system’s light-rail and streetcar lines have been under scrutiny, due to a May 2022 derailment of a Lynx Blue Line train.

Dana Fenton, the city of Charlotte's liaison and lobbyist in Raleigh, told City Council members Tuesday that the city's current $13.5 billion transit plan has no chance with the General Assembly.

Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones said Monday the city could "frontload" its $13.5 billion transit plan by spending money on road projects in the early years.

A Charlotte City Council committee voted to back plans to put a new bus station underground, as part of a public-private partnership to spur development.

The Charlotte City Council’s transportation committee voted 4-1 Monday to back a route for the Silver Line light rail that would have it skirt uptown instead of going to the heart of center city.