Most Mecklenburg County residents believe that Charlotte’s bus system and light rail line help reduce pollution and serve the vital role of transporting people to their jobs.

However, most of these residents never use public transport.

These are some of the results of the latest community survey commissioned by the Charlotte Area Transit System. For years, CATS has used an outside research firm to conduct surveys of residents, riders and employees. They usually don’t share them publicly. Transit Time learned of their existence this spring and recently received a batch of reports dating back to 2019 after requesting them under public records laws.

Perceptions of CATS are expected to be a big factor in the $25 billion regional transit plan that took shape this summer. That plan calls for building additional rail lines, improving bus service and investing the money in street projects, paid for primarily by increasing Mecklenburg’s sales tax. Voters would have to approve the plan, which still awaits action by the General Assembly.

Even after CATS’ recent high profile missteps and a shaking up managementsurveys show that public riders and transit have mostly favorable impressions of Charlotte’s buses and light rail.

But there are also some negative aspects. The public generally gives CATS low marks for perceived safety on buses and transit stations. And CATS travelers say they have less positive impressions of public transit than travelers in other cities, while also saying they want more frequent service and more shelters at bus stops.

Here are some of the highlights:

Important to the community: By large margins, survey respondents say they think public transportation is vital:

• 85% say CATS is a “valuable part of the community”
• 79% say CATS “contributes to the success of the community”
• 73% say they provide access to jobs
• 79% say they offer affordable transportation options
• 76% say they provide mobility to low-income families
• 66% say it reduces pollution
• 61% say it reduces traffic congestion

Few riders: However, most of the people interviewed do not ride buses or light rail. CATS ridership is down about 44% since peaking in 2014. According to the survey:

• 44% said they had never ridden CATS
• 7% said they used to ride it but don’t anymore
• 34% said they travel once a month or less
• 31% said CATS was valuable to them personally

Safety Perceptions: In addition, respondents to the survey question indicated that they have safety concerns:

• 37% agreed with the statement: “CATS buses and trains are crime free”
• 29% agreed with the statement: “CATS stops and stations are crime-free”
• 35% agreed with the statement that “CATS improves property values”

Favored transit plan: The survey also asked residents about their perceptions of Charlotte’s emerging transit plan. About 75% said they had a “positive” or “very positive” impression. That’s it generally in line with other polls that suggest local residents favor more transit fundingalthough survey questions typically do not ask about specific funding sources, such as higher taxes, which could dampen enthusiasm in survey results.

The survey was conducted in May 2023 for 391 inhabitants of Mecklenburg. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.96 percentage points.

See the survey of Mecklenburg residents here.

satisfied but below average: most bus passengers said they liked the service:

• 66% of bus passengers said they were satisfied with the CATS service – although this is below the industry average of 80%

Looking for a better service: Most bus passengers said they would like more buses and more facilities at stations:

• 64% said they would like more frequent service
• 52% said they would like better timed transfers between services
• 51% said they would like more shelters at bus stops
• 39% said they would like more benches at bus stops

Essential: Most bus riders said they rely on CATS for essential purposes:

• 57% of bus riders said they use buses to get to work, with another 8% saying they use it for medical appointments
• 93% described themselves as “transit dependent”
• 58% stated that they did not have a driving license

Bus rider demographics:

• 35% were 34 years old or younger
• 62% were men
• 75% were black, 11% were white, 5% were Hispanic
• At least 48% earned less than $50,000 per year (47% did not disclose their income)

Passenger Perceptions: Light Rail Satisfied and Average Levels: Most light rail passengers said they liked the service provided:

• 77% of light rail riders said they were satisfied with CATS service – right at the industry average (77%)

Looking for better service: Most rail travelers said they would like more trains:

• 74% said they would like more frequent service
• 59% said they would like better timed transfers between services

Train passenger demographics:

• 58% stated that they had a driving license
• 59% said they were 34 or younger
• 61% were men
• 57% were black, 25% were white, 12% were Hispanic
• At least 43% earned less than $50,000 per year (33% did not disclose their income)

The in-person survey was conducted in November 2023 on 1,129 bus riders and 548 riders riding or waiting for transit.

See the survey of bus and rail travelers here.

The surveys were conducted by a research firm specializing in transit agencies called TransPro. Transit Time requested them in May under North Carolina public records laws and received them in October.

The Charlotte City Council in May approved a contract with Hickory-based Jackson Insight for the annual CATS survey research, which will be “used to identify concerns and areas where transit services need to be improved and/or better communicated “. The estimated annual cost is $232,000.

Tony Mecia is executive editor of The Charlotte Ledger. Get to him at [email protected].