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Transit bump bypasses Charlotte amid safety concerns
Originally published on August 13, 2026, by Cooper Hall and Steve Harrison for The Charlotte Ledger.
With gas prices this summer sharply higher than a year ago, many big-city residents around the United States are getting out of their cars and turning to public transportation:
- In Atlanta, ridership on MARTA is up more than 25% between March and June of this year, compared to the same period in 2025.
- Dallas was up 20% in the same period.
- Nashville was also up 20%.
- Ridership in Raleigh grew 6%.
The Los Angeles Times reported in June that transit officials believe that high gas prices are pushing more people to transit in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Charlotte, though, is bucking the national trend: Ridership on the Charlotte Area Transit System dropped 6% in those four months since the conflict with Iran started, compared with a year earlier.