Chapel Hill Transit operates public bus and van transportation services within the contiguous municipalities of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the southeast corner of Orange County in the Research Triangle metropolitan region of North Carolina. Chapel Hill Transit operates its fixed route system fare free due to a contractual agreement with the two towns and the university to share annual operating and capital costs. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .
History
In 1992, Chapel Hill Transit teamed up with the Triangle Clean Cities Coalition and Ebus, a California company that manufactures electric buses, to demonstrate a 22-passenger bus that promised cleaner air and reduced dependence on foreign fuels.Hybrid-electric Bus Offers an Alternative to Air Pollution and Foreign Oil in Chapel Hill This vehicle demonstration followed an earlier one arranged by the Public Transportation Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation. In the earlier demonstration, a Transteq hybrid bus was transported from daily use in Denver, Colorado, and made available for test drives on the Chapel Hill Transit lot. In February 2006, K. Stephen Spade, a former Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority employee, was hired as the transportation director for the Town of Chapel Hill.
In August 2006, Chapel Hill Transit announced that their buses will be equipped with GPS tracking devices, allowing the bus riders to check the arrival time of the buses using the internet and their cell phone. The project was completed by NextBus Inc. Fourteen bus stops would also have digitized signs showing the estimated arrival times of buses. These signs were controversial, as the cost of installing them was almost $1 million.
In September 2006, Chapel Hill Transit announced plans to begin purchasing hybrid buses. The town planned to buy as many as nineteen new buses: three hybrids, several extra-long and the rest standard size. In October 2006, the Chapel Hill Town Council approved the purchase of sixteen new Chapel Hill Transit buses at a cost of $5.8 million from Gillig Corp. Federal grants provided about $5.2 million, and the town provided approximately $600,000 in local funds. Three of these sixteen new buses are diesel-electric hybrids. The buses, delivered in July 2007, expanded the system and replaced older buses. The town had an additional $1.7 million in federal funding which was sufficient to purchase four 60-foot articulated buses.
Fixed route service The Chapel Hill Transit system consists of 20 routes, however, during weekends, only 9 routes run. 3 of the weekday routes are considered express routes and are designated with an X. The basic hours of operation are from early morning to evening. Connections to GoTriangle, Orange County Transportation Authority, and PART are available at Manning Drive. Each fixed-route vehicle is equipped with a bike rack, which can take two bikes, and Wi-Fi.
A Senior Shuttle route operates weekdays making 7 stops each hour, in a loop, to destinations in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The Senior Shuttle route uses alternative vehicles to accommodate passengers with restricted mobility.
All fixed routes and special service routes are fare free. The Tar Heel Express charges a $3 one way and $5 round trip fee for rides. Route list RouteDestinationsName originAColonial Heights Weiner St↔University Placeto Airport DriveBUNC-Chapel Hill Mason Farm Rd↔Ronald McDonald Houseto Baity HillCUNC-Chapel Hill Pittsboro St at Credit Union↔Smith Level Rd BPW Club Rdto CulbrethCLUNC-Chapel Hill East Dr at Jackson Circle↔Old Sterling Dr Eastowne Drto Colony LakeCMUNC-Chapel Hill Pittsboro St at Credit Union↔Jones Ferry Park & Rideto Carrboro and Merritt MillCWUNC-Chapel Hill Pittsboro St at Credit UnionNC-54 Old Fayetteville Rdto Carrboro WestDUNC-Chapel Hill East Dr at Jackson Circle↔Old Chapel Hill Rd Huse Sttowards DurhamFColony Woods Dr Overland Drive↔Jones Ferry Park & Ridealong FranklinGUNC-Chapel Hill Manning Drive↔Booker Creek Apartmentsto Glen LennoxHSE Franlin St Varsity Theater↔Morris Groove Elementaryto High SchoolJUNC-Chapel Hill Pittsboro St at Credit Union↔Rock Haven Roadto Jones Ferry RoadNEstes Park Apartments↔Friday Center Park & Rideto NorthNSEubanks Road Park & Ride↔Southern Village Park & RideNorth to SouthNUUNC-Chapel Hill Manning Drive↔RR Lot Park & RideNorth to UniversitySUNC-Chapel Hill S Columbia St at South Rd↔Friday Center Park & Rideto SouthTE. Chapel Hill High School Weaver Dairy Rdto TimberlyneUUNC Loop ShuttleUniversity loopRUReverse University loopExpress routes Rush hours onlyCCXUNC-Chapel Hill Manning Drive↔Chatham County Park & RideChatham County ExpressFCX↔Friday Center Park & RideFriday Center ExpressJFX↔Jones Ferry Road Park & RideJones Ferry ExpressGoTriangle routes operated by Chapel Hill Transit420Chapel Hill↔HillsboroughGoTriangle 400s
Safe Ride service The Safe Ride program is funded by the University of North Carolina to provide safe overnight service while UNC Chapel Hill is in session. It only runs on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. 3 "Safe Ride" routes operate on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday late evenings when the university is in session. They all start in the Varsity Theater in E Franklin Street. RouteDestinationJVarsity Theater↔The Village ApartmentsG↔Friday Center Park & RideT↔Westminster Circle
Tar Heel Express shuttles Chapel Hill Transit operates a "Tar Heel Express" special event shuttle service for UNC Football and Men's Basketball home games, in addition to special events. The shuttles provide continuous and fully accessible service, running every 10 to 15 minutes between the park and rides and Kenan Memorial Stadium or Dean E. Smith Center. Service ends 45 minutes after the game ends. +Pick-up locationsBeginsFriday Center1.5 hours before game timeSouthern Village2 hours before game timeDowntown Chapel Hill1.5 hours before game time
Discontinued routes Designation RouteEnd dateReplacement route(s)CPX Carrboro Plaza ExpressAugust 3, 2020CWHUUNC Hospitals/NC 54 Park & Ride/Hedrick BuildingAugust 3, 2020BV Southern Village/MeadowmontAugust 3, 2020N
Paratransit A fare-free "EZ Rider" paratransit service provides a demand-responsive transit service for the handicapped and elderly that are unable to use the regular fixed route service. The service operates from morning to evening on weekdays and on Saturdays. Advanced reservations and enrollment are required.
Park & Ride Chapel Hill Transit operates three Park & Ride lots throughout Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Parking fees are $2/day and can be paid using an on-site meter or the Parkmobile app. Monthly and annual permits are available for $21/month and $250/year. The University of North Carolina operates four other Park & Ride lots. Permitting for these lots is administered through the university's Commuter Alternatives Program (CAP) Office. UNC's Park & Ride lots are for UNC Employees and Students only; no public/daily parking is available. UNC Park & Ride permits are honored in all Chapel Hill Transit Park & Ride lots.
Chapel Hill Transit Park & Ride lots LotLocationServed ByParkmobile ZoneEubanks RoadOn Eubanks Rd, 1/2 mi west of MLK Jr BlvdNS & CRX (GoTriangle)8801Jones FerryJust south of Old Fayetteville Rd and Jones Ferry RdCM, F, & JFX8802Southern VillageJust off US 15-501 SouthNS8804
UNC Park & Ride lots LotLocationServed ByFriday CenterOn Friday Center Dr and NC 54FCXMLK Jr Blvd725 MLK Jr. BlvdG, NS, TNC 54 EastFriday Center Dr and NC 54SChatham CountyUS 15-501 near Old LystraCCX
Bus Rapid Transit Chapel Hill Transit is planning to build an North-South Bus Rapid Transit (NSBRT) to run from the Eubanks Road Park & Ride lot to Southern Village. The route follows NC 86 (MLK Jr. Blvd.) from the northern edge of Chapel Hill into downtown, then follows Columbia St through the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, and continues along US 15-501 to Southern Village. The proposed route is based on the NS route which consistently has the highest ridership of all routes. Projected cost is $96-105.9 million with $50-75 million provided by federal funding, to commence passenger service in 2028 and projected 12,000 daily trips (in 2040) with an annual operating cost of $3.4 million. The NSBRT will run every 8 minutes during peak hours and every 10-20 minutes in off-peak hours. The existing NS bus route is expected to be replaced by the NSBRT. Along most of the corridor, NSBRT will operate in dedicated lanes.
Proposed BRT stations
Eubanks Park & Ride Weaver Dairy Road New Parkside Northfield Piney Mountain Estes Hillsborough Franklin Cameron (northbound) Carrington Hall (northbound) Pittsboro / Credit Union (southbound) Manning / East NC 54 Culbreth Southern Village Park & Ride
Notes
References
External links
Chapel Hill Transit