CHARLOTTE — If you want to ride the bus in Charlotte, you’ll have to pay when you get on -- but the same can’t be said for the city’s light rail service.
Even though a Charlotte Area Transit System study found that bus riders are more likely to be low-income and minorities compared to light rail riders, some in Charlotte say the enforcement of fares isn’t fair.
Charlotte City Councilmember LaWana Slack-Mayfield is questioning the process and says the city should consider making public transportation fare-free.
“The manager and I had this conversation,” Councilmember Slack-Mayfield said. “There is a disconnect in accessibility.”
Slack-Mayfield has raised the issue at the two most recent Charlotte City Council retreats.
Channel 9 Government Reporter Joe Bruno requested records on the number of fare evasion tickets written over the past five years. In 2020, 2021, and 2022 the city issued fewer than 100 tickets each year. Fare enforcement took a back seat during the prime Covid years. When the city stepped up enforcement in 2023, that number spiked to more than 4,700. Through November of 2024, it dropped to around 2,000.
Slack-Mayfield says the city needs to either stop charging for bus rides or step up enforcement and make it so everyone pays on both the light rail and the bus.
“What is the real economic generator for bus ridership versus the impact it will have if people have access to it when it’s needed?” Slack-Mayfield said.
CATS offers free rides on a handful of days each year, including earlier in February on Rosa Parks Day. CATS has also offered free transportation on Election Day to polling places, and to shelters during extremely cold weather.
Interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle says he isn’t sold on fare-free public transportation.
“There are some transit agencies that have done that or tested that, and it’s mixed results,” he said. “We’re not really looking at how we go fare-free, but we are looking at how our fares can reflect equity.”
Cagle says CATS is currently conducting a fare equity survey to study what the department should be charging. He says a possible solution includes offering more discounts for groups like students and low-income riders. He also says CATS is planning to put in place technology that requires people to scan their pass before boarding a light rail vehicle. A similar system is used in Phoenix, Arizona.
CATS generates around $17 million in fares each year, about 7 to 10 percent of its revenue. That’s not a huge portion but Cagle says CATS isn’t ready to give it up.
“As we think about how we pay for improvements to the system, every dollar counts,” he said.
In general, Cagle says fare enforcement is easier with buses because the passenger can’t board without encountering the driver.
Results of the fare equity study are due back by the end of the year and will be shared with the Metropolitan Transit Commission and Charlotte City Council.
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