Chapel Hill Transit
bus service, paratransit | |
Routes | 24 |
---|---|
Daily ridership | 16,600 (weekdays, Q4 2023)[1] |
Annual ridership | 3,855,400 (2023)[2] |
Website | chtransit |
Chapel Hill Transit operates public
History
In the early 1970s, during the administration of Chapel Hill Mayor
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.
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, with the exception of route 420. 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.[6]
Route List
Route | Destinations | ||
---|---|---|---|
A | Colonial Heights Weiner St |
↔ | University Drive |
B | UNC-Chapel Hill Mason Farm Rd |
↔ | Ronald McDonald House |
CL | UNC-Chapel Hill East Dr at Jackson Circle |
↔ | Old Sterling Dr Eastowne Dr |
CM | UNC-Chapel Hill Pittsboro St |
↔ | Jones Ferry Park & Ride |
CW | NC-54 Old Fayetteville Rd | ||
D | UNC-Chapel Hill East Dr at Jackson Circle |
↔ | Old Chapel Hill Rd Huse St |
F | Colony Woods Dr Overland Drive |
↔ | Jones Ferry Park & Ride |
G | UNC-Chapel Hill Manning Drive |
↔ | Booker Creek Apartments |
HS | Morris Grove Elementary | ||
J | UNC-Chapel Hill Pittsboro St at Credit Union |
↔ | Rock Haven Road |
N | Estes Park Apartments | ↔ | Friday Center Park & Ride |
NS | Eubanks Road Park & Ride |
↔ | Southern Village Park & Ride |
NU | UNC-Chapel Hill Manning Drive |
↔ | RR Lot Park & Ride |
S | UNC-Chapel Hill S Columbia St at South Rd |
↔ | Friday Center Park & Ride |
T | E. Chapel Hill High School Weaver Dairy Rd | ||
RU | UNC Loop Shuttle | ||
U | |||
Express Routes | Rush Hours Only | |||
CCX | UNC-Chapel Hill Manning Drive |
↔ | Chatham County Park & Ride |
FCX | ↔ | Friday Center Park & Ride | |
JFX | ↔ | Jones Ferry Road Park & Ride | |
Other Routes | |||
420 | Chapel Hill | ↔ | Hillsborough |
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. [7]
Route | Destination | ||
---|---|---|---|
J | Varsity Theater | ↔ | The Village Apartments |
G | ↔ | Friday Center Park & Ride | |
T | ↔ | 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 Locations | Begins |
---|---|
Friday Center | 1.5 hours before game time |
Southern Village | 2 hours before game time |
Downtown Chapel Hill | 1.5 hours before game time |
Discontinued Routes
Designation | Route | End Date | Replacement Route(s) |
---|---|---|---|
CPX | Carrboro Plaza Express | August 3, 2020 | CW |
HU | UNC Hospitals /NC 54 Park & Ride/Hedrick Building
|
August 3, 2020 | B |
V | Southern Village/Meadowmont | August 3, 2020 | N |
Paratransit
A fare free "EZ Rider"
Park & Ride
Chapel Hill Transit operates 3 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 4 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.[6]
Chapel Hill Transit Park & Ride Lots
Lot | Location | Served By | Parkmobile Zone |
---|---|---|---|
Eubanks Road | On Eubanks Rd, 1/2 mi west of MLK Jr Blvd | NS & CRX (GoTriangle) | 8801 |
Jones Ferry | Just south of Old Fayetteville Rd and Jones Ferry Rd | CM, F, & JFX | 8802 |
Southern Village | Just off US 15-501 South | NS | 8804 |
UNC Park & Ride Lots
Lot | Location | Served By |
---|---|---|
Friday Center | On Friday Center Dr and NC 54 | FCX |
MLK Jr Blvd | 725 MLK Jr. Blvd | G, NS, T |
NC 54 East | Friday Center Dr and NC 54 | S |
Chatham County | US 15-501 near Old Lystra | CCX |
Bus Rapid Transit
Chapel Hill Transit is planning to build an 8.2 mile North-South Bus Rapid Transit (NSBRT) to run from the Eubanks Road Park & Ride lot (a northern terminus) and Southern Village (the southern terminus) and points in between. 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.[8]
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
See also
- Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Carrboro, North Carolina
- GoTriangle
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Public transport
- Bus rapid transit
References
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Town of Chapel Hill, NC. Transportation Archived September 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 8, 2006.
- ^ Hybrid-electric Bus Offers an Alternative to Air Pollution and Foreign Oil in Chapel Hill
- ^ Town of Chapel Hill – Town Manager Announces New Transportation Director Archived July 25, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Chapel Hill Transit (2018). Rider Guide. Town of Chapel Hill.
- ^ "Safe Ride Program | Town of Chapel Hill, NC". www.townofchapelhill.org. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ Chapel Hill Transit (2018). "NSBRT – General Public FAQ".