CATS bus drivers hold rally, demand new safety measures

CHARLOTTE — Bus drivers with the Charlotte Area Transit System rallied together Saturday afternoon to call for new safety measures.

This comes weeks after a shootout that occurred between a bus driver and a passenger in Steele Creek.

Channel 9′s Glenn Counts spoke to drivers who said they have been complaining about safety for years.

The rally was held at the American Legion on Doland Ross Road. Drivers wore t-shirts that said, “We drive to survive.”

They said they hope to continue shining light on CATS not doing enough to provide security for its bus drivers.

“I need my city to start fighting for me. What I will not do is continue to have these meaningless conversations. What I will not do is continue to have these conversations fall on deaf ears,” bus driver Nichel Dunlap-Thompson told Channel 9.

Bus drivers said they believe the unsafe environment is to blame for the shooting in Steele Creek.

“They’re finding that when they put their lives on the line and are victimized or involved in violent circumstances, they end up being terminated oftentimes. We need reform. We need action now,” attorney Ken Harris said.

Harris said he has represented many bus drivers throughout the years, as well as the driver involved in the shooting.

CATS bus drivers are promising to take more actions in the future, including not getting behind the wheel, until conditions change.

VIDEO: ‘We’re out of time’: Charlotte bus drivers pleading for changes after shootout

‘We’re out of time’: Charlotte bus drivers pleading for changes after shootout

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