The Charlotte Space Transit System will quickly begin in search of a brand new firm to run its bus system, after years of operational issues and declining ridership.
They prevented a strike by its bus drivers with a profitable contract vote this weekend. Inside the subsequent two months, town will challenge a request for proposals from non-public firms to run the bus system.
CATS contracts with RATP Dev, a personal firm, to run its bus system. Bus drivers work for RATP Dev, not town of Charlotte. The association stems from the truth that CATS bus drivers are unionized — however below state regulation, cities can’t negotiate with public unions in North Carolina. RATP Dev, a French firm with a U.S. subsidiary, serves as a workaround, negotiating with and managing the bus drivers. Their contract runs via subsequent February.
“We will, within the next 30 to 60 days, issue an RFP (request for proposals) for a new bus operations division provider. RATP Dev may or may not propose on that, but we expect some competition in that in that RFP and we’ll be making the selection and then making the transition plan ahead of February of 2024,” interim CATS chief govt Brent Cagle instructed Charlotte Metropolis Council’s transportation and financial improvement committee on Monday.
Final month, CATS drivers voted to authorize a strike after rejecting three contract provides from RATP Dev. They voted on Saturday to approve a brand new contract, with a vote whole of 200 in favor, 10 in opposition to, Cagle mentioned.
However Cagle instructed Metropolis Council he doesn’t but have all the main points on the brand new contract. In a transfer that highlights the sometimes-unwieldy nature of town’s association with RATP Dev, Cagle mentioned that CATS — which pays the drivers — remains to be gathering details about what’s within the new contract and whether or not it will increase prices for CATS sufficient that it requires a vote from Metropolis Council for approval.
A spokesperson for the SMART Union, which represents CATS drivers, mentioned the brand new contract features a cumulative 15% pay improve, an extra paid day without work for the Juneteenth vacation, double-pay for engaged on holidays, modifications to work guidelines, larger pay for night time shifts and the next pension cap.
“While we’re not a party to those specific things, we pay the bill, right? And so where the rubber meets the road is as they bargain for higher pay or those kinds of things, that means that the contract costs in total to the city go up. We need to evaluate with RATP Dev what the cost of this new contract is,” Cagle mentioned.
Since 2014, CATS has misplaced roughly 75% of bus riders, WFAE beforehand discovered. That’s larger than any comparable main metropolis. The pandemic solely accelerated that pattern. Over the previous 12 months, CATS has struggled with a driver scarcity, has minimize bus schedules to attempt to enhance reliability, and handled driver security considerations after a bus operator was shot and killed in a highway rage incident.
Metropolis Council members at Monday’s committee assembly mentioned they have been dissatisfied that RATP Dev hasn’t commonly introduced to or interacted with the council. They mentioned they wish to hear from the non-public firm working town’s buses extra regularly —not simply when there’s a disaster — whether or not that’s RATP Dev or one other firm.
“I think it’s really important for council to be informed and updated because when something happens, then the questions are to the council members. And I think it’s really unfair for us not to be armed with the information. And if you just indicated if we’re paying the bills, then I want to know and have an understanding who am I paying,” mentioned council member Malcolm Graham.
“This committee really needs to be a little bit more engaged and involved,” Graham added. Committee chair Ed Driggs mentioned that whereas he agrees the Metropolis Council wants to concentrate on what’s happening, the prohibition in opposition to negotiating with unionized workers means there’s not a lot Charlotte can truly do about its bus system.
“In light of all of the publicity and the difficulties we’ve seen and the safety issues for the drivers, we need to involve ourselves or be informed,” he mentioned. “But we can’t exercise any direct authority.”
SUPPORT LOCAL NEWS
From native authorities and regional local weather change to pupil progress and racial fairness, WFAE’s newsroom covers the tales that matter to you. Our nonprofit, impartial journalism is crucial to bettering our communities. Your assist immediately will guarantee this journalism endures tomorrow. Thanks for making a contribution of any quantity.
