Charlotte Leaders Hike CATS Fare Again! But Reduce Service In Some BLACK Neighborhoods!

Please note that what you have viewed on the video above is NOT the way Charlotte's Mass Transportation System functions Citywide.

Charlotte, NC like most Southern Cities is still 20 years behind Major Metropolitan Cities as it relates to the benefit Of Mass Public Transportation.
Especially Major Metropolitan Cities on the East Coast.
Charlotte City Leaders like other Southern City Leaders, believe ONLY Low Income Citizens use Public Transportation, thus they rarely invest in Improving that segment of Public Service.
Of course Nothing could be further from the Truth!
More than 85% Of New York City & New Jersey residents including Very Well-To-Do Citizens, frequently use Mass Public Transportation traveling to & from Work on a Daily basis.
In fact there are many, many New Yorkers who have NEVER possessed a Drivers' License due to the city's Very Efficient Public Transportation System. i.e., Amtrak, Subway, Buses, Ferry.
This includes thousands of Wall Street employees who live in Connecticut & Pennsylvania but prefer to travel via Public Transportation versus Driving hundreds of miles.
By providing Efficient means of Mass Public Transportation in BLACK, Latino & WHITE Communities, in return those East Coast Major Metropolitan Cities reap HUGE Revenue Profits Annually from the Passengers!
So it would be to the benefit of Charlotte's future to STOP Stereotyping the type of Passengers who utilize its Mass Public Transportation System & just invest in improving the entire Freaking System Citywide NOT just in Charlotte's WHITE Communities!
Thank You







Bus, rail fare hike sought

Still struggling with stagnant sales-tax revenue, the Charlotte Area Transit System is seeking a fare increase for bus and light rail - its fourth hike since 2008.

CATS is proposing to raise the one-way local fare for buses and trains to $2, up from $1.75.

The fare hike is expected to generate an additional $2.5 million in revenue. The transit system expects ridership to decline by 3 percent because of the hike.

CATS receives roughly half of its budget from the half-cent sales tax dedicated for transit. But since the 2008 recession began, tax revenues have plummeted.

Olaf Kinard, CATS director of marketing and communications, said the sales tax is stuck at 2005 levels.

"We have reduced over $23 million in expenses," Kinard said. "But you run against the sales tax. We don't know yet what will truly happen."

In 1998, the cost of a local one-way bus fare was 80 cents. The next fare hike was in 2004, when it increased to $1.10.

CATS has continued to have increases, in 2006 ($1.20); 2008 ($1.30); 2009 ($1.50); 2010 ($1.75) and now 2012 ($2).

The cost of express buses also would go up.

One-way express bus fares within Mecklenburg County would go from $2.40 to $2.75; one-way express bus fares outside of the county would go from $3.50 to $4.

The Metropolitan Transit Commission will hold a public hearing on the increases at its March 28 meeting.


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Sources: CATS, Charmeck.org, McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Youtube, Google Maps

Charlotte "CATS" Receives More Funding & Opens New Transportation Center (Clean Air Project)

RENOVATED NORTH DAVIDSON BUS FACILITY REOPENS ITS DOORS
Charlotte, N.C., July 26, 2011 — Construction is almost complete and you are invited to come take a look inside the Charlotte Area Transit System’s (CATS) North DavidsonBus Facility Renovation and Expansion Project on Thursday, July 28 at 10 a.m. at 901 North Davidson Street.

Join Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, CATS CEO Carolyn Flowers, District 1 City Council Member Patsy Kinsey and Director of the Governor’s Piedmont Regional Office Bud Berro to see the refurbished facility that will improve the efficiency of bus operations and maintenance for up to 200 buses. Attendees can park in CATS Bus Lots 5 and 6 on McGill Garden Way. Signs will be posted.

The renovation and expansion project is the recipient of $20.7 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funds through the Transit Capital Assistance Urbanized Program.

“CATS ridership has increased 100 percent within the past decade; this facility will be key in sustaining operations now and well into the future,” Mayor Anthony Foxx said. “This project was a bright spot during a time when we needed it most, it has helped put Charlotte businesses and citizens to work. Approximately 150 jobs were created throughout the last two years at this facility.

There are currently 21 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) contracts in the amount of over $1.4 million awarded as part of this project, which is extremely important for the sustainability of small businesses in our city,” said Foxx.

The renovations allow operational and maintenance improvements for up to 200 transit buses. Updated facility conditions include mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems as well as bus maintenance equipment. CATS Special Transportation Service, which operates 83 vehicles, will move its administration and operations to the North Davidson campus to provide more consolidated operations. A new, multi-level parking garage will provide ample space for employees working out of this facility.

“We are very excited to provide transit employees a more efficient building with added environmental benefits such as passive lighting and dual bus usage,” said Carolyn Flowers, CATS CEO. “The exterior changes also allow the buildings to better blend into the fabric of the nearby communities. None of this would have been possible at this time without the support and assistance received by this stimulus grant through the Federal Transit Administration.”

Exterior panels on the buildings, designed by North Carolina artist Jimmy O’Neal, depict the visual translations of actual sounds recorded at the facility. The maintenance building includes images from the sound of a bus operator’s announcement to passengers, a worker’s tool, the message heard by CATS bus operators when they start up a bus and the sound of bus brakes. The administration building images are from the sounds of a bus horn and wheel.

The CATS North Davidson Bus Facility is expected to resume full operations in late summer 2011. The facility was originally constructed in 1981 and includes a two-story administration/operations building, a three-level maintenance building and a fuel and wash facility.

To learn more about CATS and its services, please call 704-336-7433 or visit us on the web at www.ridetransit.org.

Jean Leier (704) 432-0496



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Sources: CATS, Charmeck.org, WCNC, Google Maps

Charlotte CATS Receives $28M Federal Funds For What?? More Gov't Waste!

CHARLOTTE CATS SYSTEM RECEIVES TWO ADDITIONAL FEDERAL GRANTS


Charlotte, N.C., November 3, 2010 -

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) just received two additional federal grants that will help save money and protect the environment.

“We are constantly seeking grants and other revenue sources to leverage the investment Mecklenburg County citizens make to Public Transit through the dedicated sales tax,” said Carolyn Flowers, CATS CEO. “These two grants will assist us in reducing operational expenses.” CATS has been awarded over $28.5 million this year in state and Federal Grants.

Click here to learn how this money is being put to use to improve your transit system.

The Bus Canopy Solar PVS/Charging Project is part of the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER II) program. The $1.0 million award will be used at the CATS South Tryon Bus Facility which includes nine bus canopies in the middle of the lot that provide shade for the vehicles and allow the buses to cool quicker when going into service.

These canopies will be the site of 2,268 solar PV panels which could generate up to 50.5 megawatt hours of power each month and approximately 12 percent of the annual electric use at this facility.

CATS also received $421,580 for the Clean Fuels Bus and Bus Facilities Program. This grant award will be used to purchase more efficient and light weight Special Transportation Service (STS) vehicles as identified as part of CATS’ 2007-2012 Countywide Transit Services Plan.

CATS will replace five older, less efficient STS vehicles in the fleet with five new vehicles that emit 56 percent less carbon dioxide, get more miles per gallon, only require preventative maintenance every 10,000 miles and have an increased lifespan up to 7 years and 200,000 miles.

To learn more about CATS and its services, call 704-336-RIDE or visit us on the web at www.ridetransit.org.




Charlotte City Council Narrowly Approves Federal Streetcar Money


The Charlotte City Council narrowly agreed Monday night to take $25 million in federal money to begin the first 1.5 miles of its planned streetcar route.

The 6-5 council vote came after more than three hours of passionate debate from residents and the council. It also survived a last-minute effort to defer the issue until a later meeting.

Supporters said the streetcar would spur development along its eventual 10 miles and would provide another transportation option.

But opponents argued the city can't afford the project now, and that the streetcar would eat up money that could be used on other community needs.

Voting in favor of accepting the federal grant were Democrats Jason Burgess, Patrick Cannon, Nancy Carter, David Howard, Patsy Kinsey and James Mitchell.

Voting no were Republicans Warren Cooksey, Andy Dulin and Edwin Peacock, plus Democrats Michael Barnes and Warren Turner.

The first $37 million, 1.5-mile segment would run from Time Warner Cable Arena in uptown to Presbyterian Hospital in the Elizabeth area, with six stops or stations along the way. Construction will start within 18 months, and the city wants to have the streetcar up and running by 2014.

In addition to the federal money, the city will spend $12 million from three of its capital funds for the streetcar.

But that only covers construction. The first leg is also expected to carry a $1.5 million annual operating bill.

The Charlotte Area Transit System has said it can't cover the tab, pushing the costs to the city. Officials there haven't said how they would pay for the operating costs, only that the money would likely come from the city's general fund.

The lack of operating money fueled some of Monday's opposition to the streetcar. Many speakers said the community has more pressing needs, including crime-fighting and schools.

"Just because ... you vote against accepting that grant, it doesn't mean you don't believe in mass transportation," said Tariq Bokhari. "It just might mean that this expenditure doesn't make sense with our current priorities."

But other speakers said investing in the streetcar will pave the way for more development in the future, particularly in east and west Charlotte.

The city has proposed building a 10-mile streetcar line from the Rosa Parks Transit Center on Beatties Ford Road near Interstate 85 to Eastland Mall, via Trade Street uptown.

Malcolm Graham, a special assistant to the president of Johnson C. Smith University and a state senator, urged the council to "not make a decision for today, but to make a decision for tomorrow."

"Invest in our community the same way many on council who sat in those chairs before invested in our community," he said.

Comments from council largely mirrored that of citizens who packed the chamber.

Many council members who voted against the grant money lamented that the city had not identified a way to pay for the operating costs.

They also worried that moving ahead with the streetcar meant the city was pushing aside previously announced plans to extend the Lynx light rail line to the University City area, as well as commuter rail to the northern Mecklenburg towns.

Other council members argued they weren't sidestepping those projects but were taking advantage of federal money that's become available.

Under the Bush administration, federal transit money wasn't available for streetcars. That changed under the Obama administration, and earlier this month, Charlotte was among the cities awarded $130 million in streetcar grants.

Leaders have said they plan to keep looking for more money to help pay for the rest of the project, though they said they likely would only be able to build 2- or 3-mile segments at a time.

The entire 10-mile stretch could cost about $500 million.


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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Wikipedia, Google Maps