Transit use in Orange County is growing, and how people get around is changing.

Orange Public Transportation (OPT) is developing a Short Range Transit Plan to improve service and manage demand over the next ten years. The Short Range Transit plan will:

• Evaluate existing transit services and determine how effectively they are serving the travel needs of Orange County residents
• Position OPT for sustainable growth by understanding what the existing system is capable of and provide service recommendations
• Hear what you have to say to determine how a transit system could better meet your needs
• Provide a roadmap for OPT over the next 10 years and coordinate with other regional efforts

Please see below for more details on the service and captial concepts and to provide your feedback by ranking your top five priorities and leaving your comments at the bottom of the page.

1. VANPOOL PROGRAMS Subsidized ridesharing programs for groups with similar commutes. In a vanpool program, riders self-organize based on common origins and destinations. There is opportunity for OPT to build on an existing vanpool partnership with GoTriangle to enhance access to jobs and services from rural areas. In future years, OPT will work to identify funding for a pilot program to subsidize new vanpools for Orange County residents, including supporting marketing.

2. COMMUNITY VAN PROGRAMS Low-cost van leases to qualifying nonprofit and government agencies to promote access to social services. Community van programs are a great way to improve access to jobs and services. Potential partners include senior centers and social services agencies like the Orange County Department on Aging, the Orange County Department of Social Services, or similiar nonproft groups. 

3. ZONE SERVICE. Dial-A-Ride service that operates within specific times and areas on certain days of the week. Zone service can help riders make connections to regular fixed-route service or take them directly to their destination. OPT is proposing to operate zone service in three distinct areas in Orange County. Service in each zone would operate for five hours per day, two weekdays per week. In future years, there is potential to expand service in these zones to operate from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday-Friday. 

4. HILLSBOROUGH CIRCULATOR. Fixed-route local service in Hillsborough. The Hillsborough Circulator is a fixed-route service providing connections throughout Hillsborough, including to the Durham Tech Park-and-Ride and a new proposed Hillsborough Park-and-Ride. Service currently operates every 60 minutes from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday-Friday. The proposed alignment streamlines portions of the existing service. In future years, there is potential to expand the Hillsborough Circulator to operate every 30 minutes from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday-Saturday.

5. ADDITIONAL HILLSBOROUGH CIRCULATOR ROUTE. Additional Hillsborough Circulator Loop to improve coverage and service frequency. The Hillsborough Circulator would be altered to create two separate overlapping loops with transfer opportunities at Walmart and downtown Hillsborough. The proposed loops would operate every 60 minutes between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday-Friday.

6. ORANGE-ALAMANCE CONNECTOR. Revised fixed-route service improving connections between Mebane, Efland, and Hillsborough. The revised Orange-Alamance Connector is a proposed fixed-route service traveling on US 70, providing access to Alamance County and service the Mebane Cone Health Park-and-Ride. The proposed route would offer 60-minute service between 6:00 AM and 7:00 PM, Monday-Friday.

7. ORANGE-CHAPEL HILL CONNECTOR. All-day fixed route service between Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, and Cedar Grove. The Orange-Chapel Hill Connector currently provides midday fixed-rotue service traveling on US 86 every 60 minutes between 9:45 AM and 3:50 PM, Monday-Friday. The route provides connections to Durham Tech Park-and-Ride and in future years, to a new proposed Hillsborough Park-and-Ride. This route complements the peak-only GoTriangle Route 520 to offer all-day service between Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, and Cedar Grove.

8. HILLSBOROUGH-DURHAM CONNECTOR. Fixed-route service connecting Hillsborough with Duke University and Duke VA Hospital. The proposed Hillsborough-Durham Connector would provide midday fixed-route service connecting Hillsborough with Duke University and the the Duke VA Hospital. Service would operate every 60 minutes between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday-Friday. The route would be designed to complement GoTriangle Route ODX to provide an all-day connection between Hillsborough and Durham. 

9. CEDAR GROVE PEAK CONNECTOR. Peak-only fixed-route service between Cedar Grove and Hillsborough. The proposed Cedar Grove Peak Connector would offer a new fixed-route service option between Cedar Grove and Chapel Hill that would operate every 60 minutes from 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM and 3:30 PM to 7:00 PM, Monday-Friday. The Cedar Grove route would be designed to connect with GoTriangle Route 420 and provide an all-day service option from Cedar Grove to Chapel Hill. 

10. WHITE CROSS COMMUTER SERVICE. A proposed new park-and-ride lot in White Cross and new fixed-route service along the West NC 54 corridor would serve riders traveling between White Cross and Chapel Hill. The proposed service would operate every 60 minutes during peak periods only, from 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM, Monday-Friday.

11. TRANSIT AMENITIES. Construct new transfer center in Downtown Hillsborough to serve potential new fixed-route services and a new Park-and-Ride lot in Hillsborough. The new transfer center would provide a location for bus layover and make it easier for passengers to transfer to potential new routes serving downtown Hillsborough and the rest of Orange County. The Park-and-Ride lot in Hillsborough would be accessed by a variety of existing and proposed routes, including the Hillsborough Circulator, the Orange-Chapel Hill Connector, and the Cedar Grove Connector.