RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK (Aug. 2, 2017) -- On Aug. 6, GoTriangle Routes 700 to Durham and 800 to Chapel Hill will move from hourly to 30-minute service Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m., making it even more convenient for riders and other residents to get out of their cars and enjoy the benefits of buses.
Thanks to transit investments that Orange and Durham county voters approved, riders using Route 700 between the Regional Transit Center (RTC) and Durham and Route 800 between the RTC and Chapel Hill via Southpoint Mall will have more flexibility to get from their homes to jobs, educational opportunities and more.
“Increased frequency in our midday services is a game-changer for our many potential customers who don’t commute during rush hour when we run the most service,” GoTriangle General Manager Jeff Mann said. “It means a parent who took the bus to work but who might have to pick up a child in the middle of the day has more flexibility to move around the region.”
A quarter-million people are projected to move to Durham and Orange counties over the next 25 years. With them will come increased congestion, more development and greater demand on roadways. More transit options are one way to help residents get around our vibrant community, Mann said.
“These improvements are an important step, not simply toward making our transit system better but in creating stronger regional connections,” Mann said. “The successful referendum in Wake County in the fall is allowing Wake, Durham and Orange counties to work together to make transit a priority for our region. Residents of the Research Triangle region can look forward to many critical improvements over the next decade.”
In 2011 and 2012, voters in Durham and Orange counties approved a transit-dedicated half-cent sales tax to complete transit plans that included the coming expansion of bus service and other transit projects including the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit project.
The two-county light-rail project, which includes 18 stations between UNC Hospitals and North Carolina Central University, will better connect neighborhoods to jobs, education and employment centers and provide a congestion-free alternative for commuters.
For more information and links to maps, schedules and fare details, visit gotriangle.org.