Transit officials say the move is aimed at reducing crime, fare evasion, and improving rider safety.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — All vendors operating inside the Charlotte Transportation Center (CTC) will be forced to shut down within 90 days, as the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) carries out a major safety overhaul at the Uptown facility.
The announcement came during this week’s Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) meeting, affecting all in-house food, beverage and retail vendors leasing space inside the transit hub.
“We have served notice to the concessionaires, the food and beverage vendors, and the one concession store, and there’s another sundry store,” CATS CEO Brent Cagle said. “Terminating their leases — this was all outlined in their leases, and we were exercising our right to terminate those leases.”
Cagle said the change will allow CATS to turn the entire CTC into a designated “fare zone,” meaning only ticketed transit riders would be allowed inside the facility, a strategy he says is critical to improving safety.
“By being able to mark the ‘fare zone’ and ensure that the Transit Center is being utilized by transit passengers, we’re better able to maintain security within the facility,” Cagle explained.
The decision follows a series of violent incidents at the CTC, including a deadly shooting in April and a fatal stabbing in February.
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Officials say restricting access to paying riders is a more effective long-term solution than simply adding more police.
Vendors affected by the lease terminations will receive relocation benefits under Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements.
This operational shift comes as the FTA prepares to conduct its regularly scheduled triennial review of CATS. Inspectors will be on-site next week to evaluate maintenance, financial oversight, human resources, and safety policies.
Cagle emphasized that removing the businesses is just the beginning. A full plan for rehabilitating and renovating the CTC is expected to be presented in June.
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