Triangle Transit

The Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority which is known by the name Triangle Transit (formerly Triangle Transit Authority or TTA) provides regional bus service to The Triangle region of North Carolina in the counties of Wake, Durham and Orange.

History

The 1989 Session of the North Carolina General Assembly enabled the creation of Triangle Transit as a regional public transportation authority serving Durham, Orange and Wake counties. The new unit of local government was chartered by the NC Secretary of State on December 1, 1989.

In 1991, the NC General Assembly, subject to County approvals, authorized Triangle Transit to levy a vehicle registration tax of up to $5 per registration. This tag tax finances the regional bus operations, vanpooling program and planning program.

In 1997, the NC General Assembly, subject to County approvals, authorized Triangle Transit to levy a rental vehicle tax of up to 5% of gross receipts. This tax, effective January 1, 1998, will finance future capital projects.

Triangle Transit was created to plan, finance, organize and operate a public transportation system for the Research Triangle area. It has three main program areas:

# Regional Bus Service
# Vanpool Service
# Regional Transit Planning

From 1995 the cornerstone of Triangle Transit's long-term plan was a 28-mile rail corridor from northeast Raleigh, through downtown Raleigh, Cary, and Research Triangle Park, to Durham using DMU technology. There were proposals to extend this corridor 7 miles to Chapel Hill with light rail technology. However, in 2006 Triangle Transit deferred implementation indefinitely when the Federal Transit Administration declined to fund the program.

On March 17, 2008, after 15 years as Triangle Transit Authority, the Board of Trustees changed the agency's name and logo to Triangle Transit. Triangle Transit Board Chair Sig Hutchinson announced its new promise to the Triangle:

Triangle Transit improves our region’s quality of life by connecting people and places with reliable, safe, and easy-to-use travel choices that reduce congestion and energy use, save money, and promote sustainability, healthier lifestyles, and a more environmentally responsible community.

Triangle Transit is governed by a thirteen member Board of Trustees. Ten members are appointed by the region's principal municipalities and counties and three members are appointed by the North Carolina Secretary of Transportation.

Routes and services

Triangle Transit is a regional public transportation provider, offering a wide variety of transit and vanpool services to North Carolina’s Triangle Region and outlying counties. Regional bus and shuttle service is available to Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, Hillsborough, RDU International Airport, Research Triangle Park, Raleigh, and Wake Forest.

Triangle Transit is a supporting agency of the Special Transit Advisory Commission's work to plan for the region's transit future. The STAC completed its work in May 2008 and has provided its recommendations to the area's two planning organizations: Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) and Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO). The STAC's report which recommends more bus service, circulator service and rail can be found at: [http://www.transitblueprint.org]

Connecting local municipal transit systems

Capital Area Transit (Raleigh)

CAT currently operates 26 regular fixed routes that serve the downtown transit plaza and operate 5:30am-7:00pm Monday-Saturday, as well as 10 connector routes and 1 express route that do not serve the downtown area. An evening trolley route also operates downtown, Thursday-Saturday, 5:30 - 11:30pm.

Chapel Hill Transit

Chapel Hill Transit operates public transportation services within the contiguous cities of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in the southeast corner of Orange County, North Carolina.

C-Tran (Cary)

Public transit in Cary is provided by [http://www.townofcary.org/ctran/ctranoverview.htm C-Tran] . There are three fixed-routes: North-South, East-West and the Maynard Loop. There is also a door-to-door service for the elderly (55+) and riders with disabilities.

Orange Public Transportation

The Orange Public Transportation program, a division of the Orange County Department on Aging, offers van and bus service outside the Chapel Hill-Carrboro city limits including planning and coordinating for county residents with transportation needs. It serves the general public and the clients of community service agencies, primarily in rural areas of the County.

Durham Area Transit Authority

Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA), the transit system for the city of Durham, operates 19 fixed bus routes as well as paratransit services.

External links

* [http://www.triangletransit.org/ Triangle Transit]
* [http://www.gotriangle.org/ GoTriangle.Org - Triangle Region Trip Planner]
* [http://www.sharetheridenc.com/ Carpool and Vanpool Matching]
* [http://www.transittime.com/ Transittime.com - Description of the Project]
* [http://www.transitblueprint.org/ Special Transit Advisory Commission Report]