Bus Stop Improvements

Anyone can request a bus stop be created or improved with amenities, such as a bench, covered shelter, improved lighting and trash receptacle. 

Just call 919-485-RIDE to make your request to the Regional Information Center that serves all transit agencies in the Triangle. Although your request will be accepted and passed along to the appropriate agency, please be aware that GoTriangle only has jurisdiction to build or improve its own bus stops or bus stops in Durham that are funded by the Durham Transit Plan.

Bus stops seem simple to build, but they’re not. Getting a stop built or improved requires a “yes” to many questions and may require the approval of private individuals and governmental agencies. 

• Ridership: Our minimum requirement is 10 average weekday boardings for installing a bench and 20 average weekday boardings a day for a shelter.
• Local permission: Who owns the land and are they willing to sell or provide a right of way?
• Drainage:  Is the slope conducive to building?
• Americans with Disability Act accessibility: Is there adequate space to provide access to people with disabilities? (If a stop already meets ADA requirements, GoTriangle does not prioritize improving it until we have made all existing stops ADA-accessible.)
• Safe pedestrian crossings: When there is a “paired” stop across the street for return trips, is it safe for riders to access the bus stops on both sides of the street?
• Distance between bus stops: Does this stop allow for efficient route times?
• Safety for bus operators: Is this stop a safe place for operators to stop the bus?
   

A bus stop costs at least $66,000, including surveying, designing, engineering, permitting and building.

Multiple sources fund bus stops improvements. The half-cent sales tax in Wake, Durham and Orange counties is the primary source. GoTriangle applies for federal funding when possible, and although doing so saves local funds, it also adds time to obtain approvals.

Our standard stop includes a sign, a concrete landing and waiting area, a trash can, and when no streetlight is nearby, pedestrian-scale lighting.  We will also improve existing sidewalks and crossings (including curb ramps) when there is a “paired” stop across the street for a return trip. 

You can request a bus stop be cleaned or serviced by making your request at 919-485-RIDE, the Regional Information Center. We are developing a maintenance schedule for all of our stops.

A stop with no complications takes about 18 to 24 months to survey, design, obtain permits, go through the procurement process for obtaining contractors and construct.  Often the busiest stops are also the most complicated and take longer. An exception is that GoTriangle’s tactical improvement program allows Simme-seats to be installed on existing sidewalks if space exists to allow an ADA-accessible pedestrian travel way in front of the seats. These Simme-seats are temporary improvements while the larger improvement project is happening in the background.

We do not have bus stop sponsorships.