It’s seemingly a tale of two transit systems.
Over the past year, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), which employs many SMART-TD members, has made the news regularly for different reasons.
But it was two recent headlines within the span of a week that left us wondering whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times for transit in the Queen City.
Everything’s Great…Or Is It?
On June 1, 2026, Mass Transit published a story with the headline “CATS seeing drop in crime across transit system.†The article touted several statistics provided by CATS that compared Q1 2026 statistics with the same period in 2025.
Three items immediately stood out…
- 67% reduction in overall bus operator and passenger assaults.
- Zero major assaults (requiring medical response) recorded for operators or passengers.
- Zero passenger-on-passenger assaults in Q1 2026, down from three in 2025.
Now let’s compare that with another story published by The Charlotte Observer exactly one week later with the headline “Charlotte bus drivers face dangerous work. 6 things we learned as we dug in.â€
The reporter is clear from the beginning: the CATS light rail system isn’t any more dangerous than others like it across the country.
But when it comes to the bus system and bus operators, it’s an entirely different story.
Citing data from the Federal Transit Administration, several key points highlighted include…
- CATS bus operators are assaulted more often than the average nationwide, tallying roughly 77 verbal and physical assaults per every 10 million passenger trips.
- Compared to CATS light rail, CATS buses see more issues.
- Limited accountability for assailants and justice for operators who are attacked.
- Former CATS bus operators spoke to the Observer, citing a work environment that keeps them on high alert and constantly wondering whether they’ll be assaulted that day.
These conflicting narratives paint two very different pictures of a heavily used transit system in a major U.S. city.
Reading Between the Headlines: Both Things Can Be True
So, the question remains: which is it?
The answer is surprisingly simple: both things can be true.
It’s entirely possible that CATS is seeing improvement in some reported categories, like major assaults requiring medical response. That’s a good thing!
But at the same time, frontline operators are still facing serious safety issues, including threats, harassment, lower-level physical altercations, and incidents that may go unreported entirely.
“We’re glad to see that CATS is taking steps in a positive direction, but we’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us,†said SMART-TD’s Senior Bus Vice President Alvy Hughesa former CATS employee and longtime member of Local 1596 (Charlotte, N.C.). “SMART-TD has stood firm on this issue: all transit employees deserve to work in a safe environment that minimizes the threat of assaults. Full stop.â€
The Real Story: Fighting for Transit Safety Nationwide
Increased transit safety is obviously not something that can happen overnight or without action from multiple stakeholders, including SMART-TD’s Bus & Transit Assault Prevention & Safety (BTAPS) Committee.
As a reminder, if you’ve been threatened, harassed, or assaulted on the job, it is crucial to report the incident using our confidential Workplace Assault Reporting Form.
These reports help BTAPS and SMART-TD lobby for stronger protections to prevent assaults, tougher penalties for attackers, and greater support for victims.
The form is on the SMART-TD website. To find it, navigate to Get Involved>Report a Worksite Issue, then look for the red “Workplace Assault Report†button ►
Your voice matters and most importantly, your safety matters.
Together with our BTAPS Committee and transit safety advocates nationwide, we’ll continue fighting to make progress on this critical issue.
