CHARLOTTE — A new plan to clean up the violence at the transit center is forcing some businesses to clear out of the area.
Between September and October, every business in the center will be shut down.
The announcement was made on Wednesday during a meeting with CATS Interim CEO Brent Cagle.
“Those leases will terminate roughly over the next 90 days,” said Cagle.
Cagle said the concessionaires are being asked to leave for safety reasons.
The goal is to turn the transit center into a fare zone. So, if residents who don’t have the fare won’t have a reason to be in the area.
“Once it’s there, our safety and security personnel have the ability to ask for proof of fare. If you are not a ticketed passenger, you should not be just sitting at the facility, utilizing the facility for other purposes,” said Cagle.
Daily passenger Gretchen Audin told Channel 9 she was not comfortable with everything she had seen.
“There are certain kinds of people who are loitering around here, not just getting on the bus, you know. They are doing a lot of other things,” said Audin.
This year, there have been two murders at the transit center. CATS officials said they believe the added safety is worth the changes, but not everyone agrees.
“It’s kind of messed up, honestly. Because I eat here a lot. I catch the bus every day,” said passenger Eddie Jacobs. “There is a lot of crime and traffic, drug trafficking and all that, so I kind of understand. But just to go that far, that’s kind of over the top.”
The city said it is going to help the businesses move by providing relocation services, as well as funding.
However, one merchant said that it doesn’t guarantee success in those new locations.
VIDEO: CATS Interim CEO addresses safety concerns after deadly incidents at transit center
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
