Former CATS operator taking action to demand safety improvements on buses

CHARLOTTE — A former operator with the Charlotte Area Transit System is taking a new approach to promoting safety on Charlotte’s buses and trains.

After the shooting death of driver Ethan Rivera and other recent reports of violence, Nichel Dunlap-Thompson is taking action.

“We do know that some operators clock in, they’re not able to clock out,” she said, referring to Rivera. “Safety is the first initiative that we must address.”

She’s calling for stronger safety measures to protect drivers and passengers.

WATCH >> ‘I dare you’: CATS bus video released after driver, passenger shootout

People like Cyd Blakeney and Aviona Richardson rely on CATS buses to get from point A to point B.

“Going back and forth to work or getting the kids to school, that’s our travel right now,” Blakeney told Channel 9′s Almiya White.

“I ride CATS back and forth all day long,” Richardson said.

While the transportation is convenient for them, the crime is not.

“It’s nerve-racking,” Blakeney said. “We don’t know what’s going on or who has problems with anybody, and innocent bystanders are involved into it.”

Richardson said on a scale of one to 10 for safety, she feels “about a three.”

“The crime rate is very high,” Richardson told White.

Since Rivera’s death, violent incidents have continued on or around public transportation. In June, we reported on an argument on a light rail car that ended in a fight and stabbing. A shooting involving a passenger and CATS bus driver back in May ended up making national headlines.

Dunlap-Thompson wants more to be done. So she’s starting a conversation with the community with a survey for riders and workers.

“The first question is when was your incident on the CATS vehicle, and what happened? The second question is what’s the biggest issue that you have on your job?” Dunlap-Thompson said.

She told White that she plans to take their responses to CATS.

“The conversation itself is going to go into the solutions that are going to be progressive towards change,” Dunlap-Thompson said.

For passengers like Blakeney, she’s glad someone is trying to make a change.

“Somebody cares, somebody wants to see something done where our community is safe, where our passengers are safe. I think that’s awesome,” Blakeney said.

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Dunlap-Thompson says she’s doing the survey in collaboration with the Charlotte Metrolina Labor Council.

She says she plans to go out several more times to collect more responses before submitting her findings to CATS.

(WATCH >> RAW VIDEO: Shootout between CATS bus driver and passenger on May 18, 2023)