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Chapel Hill Transit

Chapel Hill Transit, the town's municipal bus system, began running on August 1, 1974 with eight town, campus and park-and-ride routes. On January 2, 2002 it stopped charging fares, with UNC paying about 40 percent of the cost and Chapel Hill and Carrboro splitting the rest.

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People in its history

People named in events about this site, ordered by number of mentions. Each example links to an entry with a source citation.

Sites linked through the same people

Indexed works

Books, articles, records, and images about Chapel Hill Transit. Each has been reviewed for relevance; materials held at OCPL appear first.

About the site

Town of Chapel Hill transit development program update, 1981-1986

Chapel Hill (N.C.) · 1981 · Town of Chapel Hill

Update to the Town of Chapel Hill's transit development program, covering 1981 through 1986 and published by the town in 1981. It sets out local transit and transportation planning for those years.

Included because: The site is named in the title, catalog subjects, or description.

UNC

Town of Chapel Hill, transit development plan, 1979-1984

Chapel Hill (N.C.) · 1979 · Town of Chapel Hill

The Town of Chapel Hill's transit development plan for 1979 through 1984, dated July 1979 on the cover and published by the town. It covers buses, Chapel Hill Transit and local transit planning.

Included because: The site is named in the title, catalog subjects, or description.

UNC

Public response to the Chapel Hill bus system

Gilbert, Gorman, 1943-; Foerster, James F.; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Department of City and Regional Planning · 1975 · Dept. of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina

Survey report on how riders and residents viewed the Chapel Hill bus system, prepared by Gorman Gilbert and James F. Foerster for the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina in 1975. The final report of a transit evaluation project, and it deals with public opinion on bus lines in Chapel Hill.

Included because: The site is named in the title, catalog subjects, or description.

UNC

Technical and feasibility study of public mass transportation service for the Chapel Hill-Carboro-UNCCH, North Carolina urban area : prepared for the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, North Carolina, the C-CH-UNCCH Joint Public Transportation Commission, and the UNC Student Government

Kimley-Horn and Associates · 1972 · Kimley-Horn Associates

Feasibility study for public mass transportation in the Chapel Hill, Carrboro and University of North Carolina area, prepared in September 1972 by Kimley-Horn and Associates of Raleigh for the two towns, the joint transportation commission and the university student government. Seventy eight pages with illustrations. It records how bus service for the towns and the campus was first costed and planned.

Included because: The site is named in the title, catalog subjects, or description.

UNC

Small city transit : Chapel Hill, North Carolina : public transit serving a university and town.

United States · 1976

A federal study of public transit in a small city, issued in Washington in March 1976 and given over entirely to Chapel Hill, where bus service has to answer to a university as well as a town. Fifteen pages with a map, covering local transit and urban transportation in the town.

Included because: The site is named in the title, catalog subjects, or description.

Duke NC State UNC

Short Range Transit Plan for Chapel Hill Transit: Fiscal Years 2006-07--2010-11

Ohlms, Peter · 2006 · The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries

A planning master's project setting out a five-year service plan for Chapel Hill Transit, which serves Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the university, for fiscal years 2006-07 to 2010-11.

Included because: The site is named in the title, catalog subjects, or description.

DataCite OpenAlex
Show 1 more works

Chapel Hill Transit (Chapel Hill Historical Society vertical file)

Promotional material and newspaper clippings on Chapel Hill Transit, the town's bus system. Undated folder from the Chapel Hill Historical Society's vertical files, Chapel Hill Government series.

Included because: The site is named in the title, catalog subjects, or description.

CH Historical Society

Published by or for this institution

Catch a trolley

Chapel Hill Transit · 1995 · Chapel Hill Transit

Chapel Hill Transit issued this 1995 item about the town's trolley buses, and the trolleys are the whole of its subject. The transit system is given as both author and publisher.

Included because: Published by or for this institution.

UNC

Chapel Hill transit, Fall 75 : town bus routes.

Chapel Hill (N.C.). Transportation Department · 1975 · Town of Chapel Hill, Transportation Department

Bus route map issued by the Chapel Hill Transportation Department for the fall of 1975, printed on one folding sheet with text and illustrations on the verso. The routes serve the University of North Carolina campus and the surrounding streets of Chapel Hill.

Included because: Published by or for this institution.

UNC

Chapel Hill Transit town bus routes.

Chapel Hill (N.C.). Transportation Department · 1947 · The Dept.

Folding route map for Chapel Hill Transit, published by the town's Transportation Department. The panel title adds routes and information, an inset covers the campus routes, and the verso describes each route with illustrations. The supplied catalog date is 1947.

Included because: Published by or for this institution.

UNC

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In the chronology

  1. Chapel Hill aldermen grant a town bus franchise to Chapel Hill Transit Lines The Chapel Hill aldermen approved a twelve-month franchise, with a five-year option, for Chapel Hill Transit Lines, Inc., a new company managed by Clyde Hastings of the Hastings Bus Lines in Durham. It planned buses to Victory Village, Carrboro and the new Raleigh Road apartments at 10 cents a ride in town, after several failed tries at bus service over the past ten years. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), September 29, 1949, p. 1
  2. Chapel Hill Transit begins service Chapel Hill's municipal bus system began running on August 1, 1974, after Mayor Howard Lee and UNC Chancellor Ferebee Taylor cut the ribbon, with eight town, campus and park-and-ride routes. Carrboro was not yet served. People: Howard N. Lee The Daily Tar Heel: bus system opening day ceremony, August 26, 1974 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, August 26, 1974, p. 11; The Daily Tar Heel, November 8, 1976, p. 1; The Daily Tar Heel, September 5, 1984, p. 4
  3. The first new bus of Chapel Hill Transit's fleet arrives from the factory The first of the town bus system's new coaches, a $55,000 General Motors bus with 42 seats, air conditioning and sealed tinted windows, arrived at the town garage on Franklin Street early on a Friday morning after the drive from Pontiac, Michigan. The town had ordered four 42-seat buses and thirteen 25-seat buses, one of them for handicapped riders, to replace its 21 worn coaches by Christmas. The Daily Tar Heel, October 28, 1974, p. 1
  4. Chapel Hill Transit carries its millionth passenger Chapel Hill's bus system counted its one millionth passenger, a University faculty member boarding a G-route bus in front of the Carolina Coffee Shop on Franklin Street. Transportation Advisory Committee chairman Marvin Silver greeted him, and the town planned a ceremony at the Municipal Building with a lifetime bus pass and gift certificates from merchants. The Daily Tar Heel, January 16, 1975, p. 2
  5. Chapel Hill Transit unveils its new 25-passenger midi-buses Mayor Howard Lee cut the ribbon at University Mall on the town's new brown and yellow 25-passenger midi-buses, one of which stood on display inside the mall; 11 of the 13 ordered had arrived, including one for elderly riders with a hydraulic wheelchair lift. The town planned to put four of them on the F, L, N and G routes that Sunday. People: Howard N. Lee The Daily Tar Heel, January 31, 1975, p. 1
  6. Chapel Hill Transit starts the Tarheel Express football park-and-ride Chapel Hill Transit's Tarheel Express, running fans from free lots at Kroger Plaza and the airport lot on Estes Drive to Gate 4 of Kenan Stadium, was in its fifth year in 1980, which places its start in 1976. The Daily Tar Heel, September 25, 1980, p. 12
  7. Chapel Hill Transit replaces its night buses with a shared-ride taxi service Chapel Hill ended fixed-route night bus service and began a shared-ride taxi service for bus-pass holders, run weeknights from 7 p.m. to midnight with cabs hired from Carolina Cab Co. Riders called an hour ahead and paid 25 to 75 cents. The taxis carried about 40 riders a night, against about 190 on the night buses the fall before. The Daily Tar Heel, September 13, 1977, p. 1
  8. Chapel Hill extends the N bus route to Estes Park Apartments Chapel Hill Transit extended its N route, which had ended at Bolinwood Apartments, along the Estes Drive extension to Estes Park Apartments. The Daily Tar Heel, September 5, 1978, p. 1
  9. Chapel Hill aldermen raise bus fares and pass prices By a 5-3 vote the aldermen adopted the Transportation Board's plan to raise the Chapel Hill Transit fare from 25 to 30 cents and the yearly pass from $40 to $48 from July 1, rejecting a steeper plan from the town staff. Fares had been 25 cents since 1974, and the discounted student academic-year pass rose from $32 to $36. People: R. D. Smith The Daily Tar Heel, March 15, 1979, p. 3
  10. Chapel Hill Transit receives federal money for operations and 17 new buses Chapel Hill's bus system received $427,000 in federal operating assistance for the fiscal year ending September 30, covering half its net operating cost and letting the town lower its bus tax from 10 cents to 7 cents per $100 of property value. It also received nearly $2 million in federal capital assistance to buy 17 new buses. The Daily Tar Heel, August 27, 1979, p. 14
  11. Chapel Hill Transit takes over the shared-ride taxi service Chapel Hill Transit took over the evening and Sunday shared-ride taxi service from the Carolina Cab Company, which had run it under contract for two years, to cut costs and link the cabs and buses by radio. At the same time the town added a bus each to the D and F routes and turned the N route into all-day service with a shared-ride feeder for Morgan Creek and Highland Woods. The Daily Tar Heel, August 27, 1979, p. 14
  12. Chapel Hill Transit carries 241,000 riders in September, up 14 percent Chapel Hill buses carried about 241,000 riders in September 1979, against 211,392 a year earlier, a 14 percent rise (15.3 percent on weekdays), with C-route ridership up 65 percent; only the K park-and-ride route lost riders. Town officials credited rising gasoline prices, the loss of North Campus parking and better service, and the University sold about 4,600 bus passes by late September, 458 more than a year before. The Daily Tar Heel, October 16, 1979, p. 2
Show all 58 dated events
  1. Chapel Hill Transit's October ridership runs 21 percent above the year before Chapel Hill Transit carried 4 percent more riders in October than in September, against the usual 5 percent fall-off, and 21 percent more than in October 1978, with big gains on the D route on the U.S. 15-501 Bypass and the F route on Franklin Street and northern Carrboro. Ridership on the shared-ride service also rose after the town took direct charge of it in the fall. The Daily Tar Heel, November 20, 1979, p. 1
  2. Chapel Hill accepts $1 million more in federal money for a transit maintenance center The Chapel Hill Town Council authorized the town manager to sign a grant agreement for an additional $1 million from the federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration to build a maintenance and operations facility for Chapel Hill Transit. The Daily Tar Heel, October 10, 1979, p. 3
  3. The Chapel Hill Town Council raises bus pass prices and fares by 62.5 percent The council voted 8 to 1 to raise Chapel Hill Transit's pass prices and fares by 62.5 percent from July 1, setting a 12-month pass at $79, a nine-month pass at $65 and the adult fare at 35 cents to meet rising fuel and operating costs. Joe Straley, who had proposed smaller increases, cast the only vote against; Student Government protested that a bus pass would now cost more than a campus parking permit. People: Joe Straley, Jonathan Howes, R. D. Smith The Daily Tar Heel, May 29, 1980, p. 6
  4. Bus ridership on Carrboro routes rises 41 percent as campus ridership falls August ridership on Chapel Hill Transit's Carrboro routes was up 41 percent from a year earlier and on its Chapel Hill routes up 2 percent, while campus-route ridership fell 27 percent, which Student Body President Bob Saunders blamed on bus passes costing more than parking permits. The Daily Tar Heel, September 19, 1980, p. 1
  5. Chapel Hill Transit splits Carrboro's crowded C route and adds a J route To relieve crowding on the C route through Carrboro's apartment complexes, the route was split in two: a new J route served Jones Ferry Road and the southern part of the N.C. 54 bypass, and the C route the northern bypass and West Main Street. Chapel Hill also rented two buses from Charlotte's transit system to carry the August rush until 16 new buses arrived, which would bring the fleet to 38. The Daily Tar Heel, August 25, 1980, p. 2
  6. UNC student bus pass sales fall by nearly half after a price rise A University Traffic Office report showed students bought 47 percent fewer academic-year bus passes in fall 1980 after the price rose from $36 to $60; overall pass sales fell from about 4,400 in fall 1979 to 3,200. Chapel Hill Transit ridership still rose 4 percent from July to December 1980; the University had paid the town $650,000 for bus service the year before. The Daily Tar Heel, February 6, 1981, p. 1
  7. A petition asks Chapel Hill Transit to extend bus service into Pine Knolls The Chapel Hill Transportation Board accepted a petition asking that the L or C bus route be extended into the Pine Knolls community and set it for discussion on October 7. At the same meeting the board recommended that the Town Council combine the D and A routes for Saturday service from January. The Daily Tar Heel, September 18, 1980, p. 3
  8. Chapel Hill Transit receives the first of 16 new buses with kneeling steps and wheelchair lifts By October 21, 1980, Chapel Hill Transit had received the first two of 16 new General Motors buses, equipped with a kneeling mechanism that lowered the steps toward the curb and wheelchair lifts at the rear doors, and was training drivers on them; the rest were expected by mid-November after the delivery firm's backlog. The Daily Tar Heel, October 23, 1980, p. 3
  9. Chapel Hill completes its Municipal Maintenance and Operations Facility off Airport Road The town's Municipal Maintenance and Operations Facility on Municipal Drive, off Airport Road, was completed in November 1980, the year Chapel Hill Transit bought 16 new GMC buses that cut the average age of its fleet from 17 years to four, the Daily Tar Heel's 10-year history of the system reported. A transit administration building was planned there in 1984. The Daily Tar Heel, September 5, 1984, p. 4
  10. Chapel Hill raises bus fares to 40 cents and reshapes its routes The Town Council voted 7 to 2 to raise Chapel Hill Transit's cash fare from 35 to 40 cents from July 1 and the year pass from $79 to $90, and approved route changes for August: the A route rerouted, the K express to Kroger Plaza dropped, and more D, G and evening FL service. The Daily Tar Heel, June 25, 1981, p. 5
  11. Bus drivers' petition leads the Transportation Board to oppose uniforms After Chapel Hill Transit drivers ran a petition against uniforms, signed by nearly 60 percent of drivers and 95 percent of the riders asked, the Chapel Hill Transportation Board voted 6 to 1 to recommend that the council not spend the $11,000 set aside for driver uniforms, and voted for name tags instead. The Daily Tar Heel, September 24, 1981, p. 3
  12. Chapel Hill Transit carries 158,158 riders in September 1981 Chapel Hill Transit carried 158,158 riders in Chapel Hill and Carrboro in September 1981, half a percent fewer than a year earlier, as service shifted: the D route was expanded, midday G service improved and the Kroger Plaza park-and-ride K route dropped. The Daily Tar Heel, November 11, 1981, p. 2
  13. Chapel Hill Transit adds a teletype line for deaf riders By October 23, 1981, Chapel Hill Transit had installed a telecommunications device for the deaf so that deaf and hearing-impaired people could reserve Shared Ride and E-Z Rider trips and get information by typing over the telephone. The device was bought with an Urban Mass Transportation Administration grant. The Daily Tar Heel, October 23, 1981, p. 3
  14. Chapel Hill Transit reroutes the D bus to serve the new Hotel Europa By November 17, 1981, Chapel Hill Transit had permanently revised the D bus route along Durham Boulevard to run through Eastgate and up the newly finished service road to Europa Drive, serving the 160 employees of Hotel Europa, which had opened the month before. Transportation director Bob Godding said the change had been planned for over a year. The Daily Tar Heel, November 18, 1981, p. 2
  15. The Chapel Hill Town Council orders uniforms for bus drivers over a driver-led petition The Chapel Hill Town Council voted 6 to 3 on November 4, 1981, to go ahead with buying uniforms for Chapel Hill Transit drivers, using $11,000 already budgeted, after drivers gathered 1,200 passenger signatures calling the purchase frivolous and the Transportation Board had recommended against it. Joe Straley, Bill Thorpe and Joe Herzenberg voted no. People: Joe Straley, Bill Thorpe The Daily Tar Heel, November 6, 1981, p. 3
  16. Chapel Hill Transit ridership falls about 5 percent Ridership on Chapel Hill Transit fell about 5 percent in December 1981, continuing a 2 to 5 percent decline over the year that Transportation Director Bob Godding laid partly to steadier gas prices; six of ten routes lost riders, the J route most, 18 percent. The Daily Tar Heel, February 4, 1982, p. 3
  17. Carrboro aldermen oppose spending Carrboro's bus money on Chapel Hill drivers' uniforms On Tuesday, January 12, 1982, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen unanimously passed a resolution against the $11,000 for Chapel Hill Transit drivers' uniforms that the Chapel Hill Town Council had approved on November 4, 1981, and had Mayor Robert Drakeford write to Chapel Hill objecting to the use of Carrboro's payments for bus service. Drivers opposed to the uniforms had gathered signatures from 1,192 riders and 36 drivers before the council vote and 5,495 in a second petition after it. People: Hilliard Caldwell The Daily Tar Heel, January 15, 1982, p. 3
  18. Chapel Hill bus drivers petition the Town Council against its spending on uniforms On February 8, 1982, the Chapel Hill Town Council received a third petition, with 5,495 signatures, against the $11,000 it had voted on November 4, 1981, over its Transportation Board's advice, to buy uniforms for Chapel Hill Transit drivers. Drivers' spokesman Phil Cohen, who had led two petition drives that fall, said about 50 of the 70 drivers thought the money should go elsewhere and called the town's invitation to drivers to help pick the uniforms an effort to get around the petitions. The Daily Tar Heel, February 10, 1982, p. 3
  19. Chapel Hill Transit charges 50 cents for peak-hour rides Under a Town Council increase in the 1982-83 budget, Chapel Hill Transit fares rose on July 16, 1982, from 40 cents for every ride to 40 cents in normal hours and 50 cents at peak hours, and the student bus pass went from $95 to $112. In March 1983 transit staff told the Transportation Board fares might rise again if federal aid fell short. The Daily Tar Heel, March 18, 1983, p. 3
  20. Chapel Hill Transit starts the fall on nine revamped bus routes After a major revamping of its routes, Chapel Hill Transit began the 1982-83 school year with nine lines: the S and U campus routes and seven serving Chapel Hill and Carrboro neighborhoods and shopping areas, with fares of 50 cents at peak hours and 40 cents otherwise, 25 and 20 cents on the campus routes. Shared-ride feeder service by small vehicles served Morgan Creek, South Lakeshore and Cedar Hills, and a System 1 shared-ride service replaced some evening and Sunday runs. The Daily Tar Heel, August 23, 1982, p. 9
  21. Chapel Hill Transit drivers begin wearing town-bought uniforms On February 28, 1983, Chapel Hill Transit drivers whose new uniforms fit began wearing them on the town's order, ending a dispute that officials traced to the bus system's start in 1973. The plain light blue shirts and dark blue pants cost $7,000 after the Town Council cut the allocation from $11,000 in the summer of 1982, and drivers opposed to uniforms had petitioned the council in 1981 and 1982. The Daily Tar Heel, March 17, 1983, p. 4
  22. Chapel Hill Transit extends bus service to new neighborhoods When full fall service resumed, Chapel Hill Transit began peak-hour service to The Villages apartments on Smith Level Road in Carrboro and, by a new T route, direct service from Kensington Trace, Timberlyne and Weatherstone along Weaver Dairy Road, using the same number of buses and drivers. A planned C route extension to Woodbridge Apartments and Willow Creek Shopping Center was held up because the shopping center had not yet let buses use its lot. The Daily Tar Heel, August 19, 1985, p. 10
  23. Chapel Hill Transit reports its first ridership increase in three years Transit director Alan Tobias said the fall 1985 semester brought Chapel Hill Transit its first rise in ridership in three years, to more than 10,000 riders a day, three-quarters of them UNC students, and credited higher gasoline prices. The system had also opened a new stop facility on Airport Road, dropped service to Morgan Lake and South Lake, and used Dixon Cab Company taxis at bus fare to bring riders from low-demand areas to bus stops. The Daily Tar Heel, October 24, 1985, p. 2
  24. Carrboro's park-and-ride lot at Plantation Plaza opens with Chapel Hill Transit's C bus The 182-space Carrboro Park and Ride Lot at Plantation Plaza on N.C. 54 was dedicated for Carrboro's free use for ten years, and Chapel Hill Transit's C bus began stopping there at noon. Eighty percent of the lot's $150,000 cost came from an Urban Mass Transportation Administration grant and the rest from the shopping center's Florida developer; a $7,500 bus shelter was left for the town to build later. The Daily Tar Heel, March 28, 1986, p. 3
  25. Chapel Hill raises its transportation tax 1.5 cents to 7 cents Fearing federal cuts to Chapel Hill Transit, the town raised its transportation tax 1.5 cents to 7 cents per $100 of valuation, which with Congress blocking the cuts left a surplus of about $140,000. The Daily Tar Heel, August 21, 1986, p. 5
  26. Chapel Hill Transit adds the S, L and P routes and 12 new buses as riding rises Chapel Hill Transit reported 17 percent more riders in July 1986 than in July 1985, which its director credited to a new S route linking the lot near the Smith Center, N.C. Memorial Hospital and the Carolina Inn and to better marketing. The system had also added an L route past the law school and a P route from Horace Williams Airport and bought 12 new buses, after ridership had fallen from about 2.38 million in 1976 to 1.81 million in 1984-85. The Daily Tar Heel, September 25, 1986, p. 4
  27. Chapel Hill Transit counts about 10,000 riders a day A ridership survey taken in October, with Alpha Phi Omega members riding the routes, found about 10,000 people using Chapel Hill Transit each day, the U campus route and the J route along the U.S. 15-501 Bypass to Carrboro apartments the busiest. The system ran nine routes, including the P and L routes added that summer after the previous year's survey, and planned to take 12 new buses in the spring, seven of them replacements. The Daily Tar Heel, November 25, 1986, p. 3
  28. Chapel Hill Transit puts 12 new buses into service as ridership climbs Expecting more riders, Chapel Hill Transit bought 12 new buses that went into service in the summer of 1987 and extended its A, C, D and J routes. State figures showed more than 615,000 passengers in the first three months of 1987, up 9.8 percent from a year before, the largest rise in the state; only Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Raleigh carried more. The Daily Tar Heel, October 5, 1987, p. 3
  29. Chapel Hill Transit adds early runs and a night shuttle between the Smith Center lots and the hospital Responding to complaints, Chapel Hill Transit added 5:45 a.m. stops at the F and FR lots on the S route, an evening shuttle every 12 minutes from N.C. Memorial Hospital, service on non-class weekdays, and stops at Highland Hills and Greenfields apartments. The Daily Tar Heel, August 27, 1987, p. 12
  30. Chapel Hill Transit sets a one-day ridership record with NCAA tournament shuttles Shuttles for the NCAA East Regional games at the Smith Center carried more than 21,000 round trips on March 17, 1988, a single-day record for Chapel Hill Transit, and more than 8,000 on March 19. The town ran all 45 of its buses plus 10 borrowed from Duke Power while keeping regular routes, and the two days' total rivaled the whole eight-day U.S. Olympic Festival of 1987. The Daily Tar Heel, March 29, 1988, p. 3
  31. Chapel Hill Transit's late-night L route between North and South Campus goes fare-free After students objected to a 25-cent fare on the new late-night L route from F-Lot on Manning Drive to Boundary Street, UNC and Chapel Hill Transit made it fare-free until midnight for the rest of the semester, with Student Government and the Residence Hall Association offering $2,000 as prepayment. Student leaders later held back the money because the shuttle ran as a station wagon only until midnight rather than a van until 2 a.m. The Daily Tar Heel, September 19, 1988, p. 1
  32. Durham grants Chapel Hill Transit a permit for its Blue Line bus to Duke At a ceremony in Durham, Mayor Wib Gulley gave Chapel Hill Mayor Jonathan Howes a permit letting Chapel Hill Transit buses operate in Durham, completing the expansion of the Blue Line between UNC and Duke University for cross-registered students and residents of both towns. Limited service had begun in the spring 1988 semester; Chapel Hill Transit said riders grew from 37 to 150 a day in the expanded service's first three weeks. People: Jonathan Howes The Daily Tar Heel, September 21, 1988, p. 4
  33. UNC realigns its P bus route through the residence halls and drops the L route At student government's request, UNC and Chapel Hill Transit rerouted the P bus past most residence halls, dropped the L route to the law school and lengthened service to 6:30 a.m.-1:30 a.m., and University bus ridership rose 9 percent in under two months. The Daily Tar Heel, October 10, 1989, p. 3
  34. State Board of Transportation funds 14 Chapel Hill Transit buses and two park-and-ride lots The N.C. Board of Transportation allotted state money for 14 new Chapel Hill Transit buses, five to replace worn-out buses and nine to meet growing ridership, and for park-and-ride lots on N.C. 54 East by the UNC Continuing Education Center and off U.S. 15-501 South near Dogwood Acres. The added buses would push the Airport Road maintenance garage past its 50-bus limit, so the town planned to enlarge it. The Daily Tar Heel, October 17, 1989, p. 4
  35. Chapel Hill Transit raises its bus fares Chapel Hill Transit raised its fare for trips around the University from 25 to 30 cents and on other town routes from 50 to 60 cents; ridership, more than 2.5 million the year before, still rose that July. The Daily Tar Heel, September 4, 1990, p. 2
  36. Chapel Hill Transit begins service from the new park-and-ride lot on N.C. 54 East Buses began running from the town's new 8-acre, $738,000 park-and-ride lot on N.C. 54 East beside UNC's new Continuing Education Center, a 512-space lot for commuters from Raleigh and Durham with buses to downtown and the campus every 10 minutes in the morning peak. The town built the lot on land the University provided, and it replaced the General Administration building as the stop for the Tar Heel Express to athletic events. The Daily Tar Heel, August 31, 1990, p. 3
  37. Chapel Hill Transit adds 14 new buses to its fleet Fourteen new air-conditioned buses with wheelchair access and electronic destination signs, built in New Mexico, arrived for Chapel Hill Transit; five were to replace old buses, some 22 years old, and nine to expand service. The buses cost $2,345,322, with the federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration paying 80 percent, the state 10 percent and the town 10 percent. The Daily Tar Heel, September 27, 1990, p. 2
  38. Chapel Hill Transit drivers complain that tight schedules force them to speed Chapel Hill Transit drivers told the Daily Tar Heel that tight schedules forced them to speed and hurt their merit ratings, and that management played favorites and paid them poorly; one driver had made the complaints in a letter to the Chapel Hill Herald. Administrative assistant Scott McClellan answered the next day that drivers could use the grievance process without fear. The Daily Tar Heel, October 1, 1990, p. 3
  39. Chapel Hill Transit receives a $400,000 state subsidy after a federal funding cut Transportation director Bob Godding said the state would give the bus system $400,000 after the federal government moved Chapel Hill into a larger size class with less federal aid, leaving the budget about $120,000 short; the council was weighing fare increases, including raising trolley fares from 10 cents to 25 cents. The Daily Tar Heel, April 8, 1992, p. 3
  40. Chapel Hill substantiates one of four racial discrimination complaints by transportation workers On February 11, 1993, Chapel Hill officials said a town investigation had substantiated only one of four complaints of racial harassment, slurs and discrimination that transportation department employees had filed against superiors earlier that week; the one upheld involved a racial joke. Transportation director Bob Godding acknowledged racism in the department but denied it was significant, Town Manager Cal Horton said employees should attend diversity training, and Mayor Ken Broun said the problems were being worked out. People: Cal Horton The Daily Tar Heel, February 12, 1993, p. 3
  41. Chapel Hill Town Council bans smoking in town buildings and Chapel Hill Transit buses Voting unanimously on September 13, the council turned town smoking policy into an ordinance barring smoking in town-owned or managed buildings, in Chapel Hill Transit vehicles and in bus shelters enclosed on more than two sides, ahead of a new state law that froze local smoking rules after October 15. Members said they wanted stricter rules but feared a court challenge. People: Cal Horton The Daily Tar Heel, September 14, 1993, p. 1
  42. Chapel Hill Transit carries its 40-millionth passenger A UNC Health Sciences Library employee riding the downtown trolley on September 24 became the 40-millionth passenger of Chapel Hill Transit, which began service in August 1974 with mostly used buses bought from Atlanta and by 1993 ran 54 buses, two trolleys and lift-equipped vans for Chapel Hill, Carrboro and UNC. Transit officials said it had the highest ridership per person of any system in the state. The Daily Tar Heel, September 28, 1993, p. 3
  43. State money offsets a federal cut to Chapel Hill Transit An extra $235,000 in state operating aid, the first state help for operating transit systems, was to offset a $700,000 cut in federal funds to Chapel Hill's buses. The Daily Tar Heel, January 18, 1994, p. 3
  44. Chapel Hill Transit wins a $4.5 million grant to replace 18 buses By mid-October Chapel Hill Transit had received a grant of $4,462,242, 80 percent federal and 20 percent state and local money, to buy 18 new buses with wheelchair lifts, two lift-equipped vans and six replacement engines or transmissions. The state Division of Transportation, which gave Chapel Hill $3.6 million of North Carolina's $12 million in federal transit money, said the town was chosen chiefly because its buses, bought in 1980-1982, were past their useful life; the 54-bus fleet carried about 2.5 million riders a year. The Daily Tar Heel, October 13, 1994, p. 3
  45. Chapel Hill Transit becomes fare-free Chapel Hill Transit stopped charging fares on January 2, 2002, and added 11 buses and new routes. Under the funding agreement, UNC paid about 40 percent of the cost and Chapel Hill and Carrboro split the rest by population. The Daily Tar Heel, January 9, 2002, p. 3: Local Leaders Welcome Fare-Free Bus System
  46. Robert Campbell petitioned Chapel Hill for bus service to the Rogers Road neighborhood Minister Robert Campbell asked the Chapel Hill council to extend free transit service to the Rogers Road community, noting that it lacked sidewalks and sewer service and that children walked along the landfill's heavy truck route. He suggested rerouting underused Airport Road buses. People: Robert Campbell Town of Chapel Hill: Agenda 3a(2), Petition re Transit Service to Rogers Rd. Community

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