Commuter diversity urged for public transit trustees

CITY OF CHARLOTTE

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is lobbying the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to ensure people who are public transit-dependent are appointed to the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority, which would be created if voters approve a 1-cent sales tax in November.

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is pushing Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to appoint commuters from diverse backgrounds to the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority.

Jacob H. Sussman, chief counsel for justice system reform and chief counsel for environmental justice Anne Harvey David wrote in a July 24 letter to Charlotte City Council and Mecklenburg commissioners, that transit-dependent commuters be appointed to the MPTA board of trustees, who create and execute transit policy in the region. 

House Bill 948, the PAVE Act, sets a November voter referendum for a 1-cent transit tax. If approved, it creates a board of trustees to govern the transportation authority. The PAVE Act mandates the city and county appoint 27 trustees to the board.

Charlotte leaders have pushed the 1-cent transit tax as an initiative to improve economic mobility. According to the National Campaign for Transit Justice, 60% of public transit riders in the United States are people of color, with Black people accounting for 25%, followed by Hispanics at 20%. 

“While we recognize that a local referendum in November 2025 would give your voting constituents a say in this matter, we are deeply concerned that, if approved, the decision-making power behind the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority … would, by design, be separated from those most affected by the policies to be created and executed,” the letter reads. “We urge you and the powerful lobbyists supporting this initiative to be transparent with the public about who will truly hold decision-making authority if the referendum is approved.”

The PAVE Act limits board membership to people with "demonstrated experience or qualifications in the areas of law, finance, engineering, public transportation, urban planning, logistics, government, architecture, or economic development.” The activists contend the law risks excluding people who rely on public transit most, like working-class commuters, seniors on fixed incomes, or riders with disabilities. 

“This exclusionary approach conflicts with a core principle of effective governance: those who are closest to the problem are often closest to the solution,” the letter reads. “Regular transit riders know which routes are late, which stops lack enough shelter, where safety issues exist, and how service cuts affect their ability to work and take care of their families. While professional credentials in urban planning or transportation engineering are valuable, they cannot replace lived experience navigating Charlotte's transit system.” 

Appointing commuters who depend on public transit for their economic and social wellbeing to the panel, the advocates argue, would add real-world experience and insight to the decision-making process.

“Public transportation cannot be governed solely by those who never use it,” David and Sussman wrote. “The communities that depend on transit daily deserve real power in shaping their future — not empty consultation after decisions have already been made. Placing this consequential issue on the November ballot without clearly informing constituents about this critical provision of the PAVE Act would be fundamentally misleading.”

The referendum prioritizes a 50% increase in bus service with 43 miles of new rail service along rapid transit corridors. If voters approve the measure, 60% of funds would go to roads and 40% for rail transit. 

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