Safety is always Priority One at GoTriangle, and when winter weather is in the forecast, the agency activates its adverse weather plan to maintain the well-being of riders and employees.

To the degree possible, GoTriangle will continue to operate all of its bus routes during adverse weather, but sometimes service has to be curtailed or discontinued because of safety reasons.

Information about altered routes or closings will be posted at gotriangle.org or is available by calling 919-785-RIDE. More tips on how to navigate winter weather events are available at gotriangle.org/weather. Information also can be found on GoTriangle’s Facebook and Twitteraccounts.

“We always keep our eye on the weather and make sure we coordinate with our partner agencies to see about service levels to keep continuity,” said Vinson Hines, interim director of GoTriangle’s Transit Operations. “Our maintenance manager has his team prep the equipment and make sure we have enough salt and plows ready. We have our facility coordinator prepare salt to take care of our bus facility and the Regional Transit Center.”

Hines, in consultation with General Manager Jeff Mann, has the responsibility of deciding whether to alter or discontinue transit service during inclement weather.

“The safety of our passengers and employees is our No. 1 concern,” Hines said. “If we have a weather event, we start early assessing roads. We offer service in three counties, so we have to look at Durham, Orange and Wake counties. Just because it’s not supposed to reach Durham, it could reach Wake, so that affects our service.”

GoTriangle has created three weather scenarios that trigger service alerts for the public. Level 1 kicks in when no major service interruptions but possible delays are anticipated. The event rises to Level 2 if snow or freezing rain is expected to top 2 inches of accumulation and the temperature is under 32 degrees. In that case, GoTriangle will move to Sunday-level service and prepare for delays, interruptions or modifications. If the weather event compromises safe operations, GoTriangle will move to Level 3 and cancel service, making every attempt to notify riders by 4 a.m.

GoTriangle dispatches road supervisors to assess roads and sends a team to its park-and-ride lots to make sure areas are clear of ice, Hines said. “We want to reduce chances of slips, trips and falls,” he said.

Additionally, customers can track the location of GoTriangle buses in real time by downloading the TransLoc Rider App.

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