What we are asking the community to weigh in on:

There are two prioritization policies that guide Wake Transit investment. 

The first, was adopted in 2025 as part of the Wake Transit Plan update which established a 10-year vision for transit system improvement and expansion through FY2035. That policy identified the various project types or categories for future investment. One of those categories is Bus Service expansion and the capital infrastructure needed to support more service. About $1.3 billion was set aside for investment in this category. 

The question we are answering now is how the set-aside funds should be spent. 

Your input provided through November 20th will help staff finalize the Bus Project Prioritization and Programming Policy. This policy will guide the development of the 2035 Wake Bus Plan. The core part of that plan includes a year-by-year list of projects scheduled to receive funding between FY2028 and FY2035. 

Background: 

We are not starting from scratch. The feedback received from partners and the public will help to update the policy that was adopted with the previous Wake Bus Plan.

How the draft was developed.

The Wake Transit program is celebrating 10 years of Wake County investment, 2016-2026. Public input is a critical element of all planning and implementation processes. Staff work to ensure that the projects being funded align with community desires and are addressing long-time and emerging travel needs. We check in regularly with transit riders and Wake County citizens to ensure that we understand what is important and are developing plans to accomplish your goals. 

Phase 1 of the 2035 Wake Bus Plan engagement process wrapped up in September 2026. The information gathered confirmed the community's transit investment priorities and provided some direction on specific route improvement concepts. 

With that information in hand, the draft Wake Bus Plan Prioritization and Programming Policy document has been developed and is being provided for review and comment through November 20, 2026. .

Policy Overview: 

The updated policy has a few notable features: revised project type categories, guidance for capital investments like bus stops, bus transfer points, and multimodal hubs. It also details a revised scoring process and ...

How your feedback will be used: 

We are asking partners, stakeholders and members of the community to let us know if the draft policy captures your priorities correctly and if the way in which project selection and scheduling is being proposed makes sense.  

Feedback received will be collected and compiled for review by the project management team and needed edits will be made to the draft policy before it is reviewed and recommended by the Bus Plan Core Technical team and the TPAC. 

The TPAC recommended version of the policy will then be brought before the two Wake Transit governing boards; CAMPO Executive Board and GoTriangle Board of Trustees for adoption. 

Next Steps:

The Wake Bus Plan relies on this prioritization guidance to select and schedule projects to receive funding through 2035. The year-by-year schedule is then used to develop the annual Wake Transit Work Plan which includes the Multi-Year Operating Program (MYOP) and the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

In late February, staff will release the draft Wake Bus Plan and Work Plan for public review and comment. Members of the community will have the opportunity to not only view the draft Wake Bus Plan but they'll also see how it is reflected in the Work Plan and can comment on both.