CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Chapel Hill Transit is the second largest transit system in the state, providing more than 7 million rides every year, according to the town of Chapel Hill.

Recently, the town received more than $2 million in grants to make some noticeable upgrades to that system.

What You Need To Know

  • The town of Chapel Hill received more than $2 million in grants to make upgrades to its public transit

  • Some of the most obvious changes include improved bus stops and a new transit tracking app

  • The town hopes these changes make using public transit even more appealing

  • Chapel Hill is also working on its North South Bus Rapid Transit project and integrating more electric buses

Chances are, if you’re in Chapel Hill, you’ll see plenty of Carolina Blue buses driving around.

“Transportation to school, work, play, see your family, church, wherever you're headed. That's a real civil right to us,”  Emily Powell, the community outreach manager for Chapel Hill Transit, said. “We'll celebrate our 50th anniversary soon, and we've been fare free for 20 years.”

Powell believes the town sets a high standard for public transit.

“We get riders that ordinarily wouldn't use the bus, and I think that's a really special audience for us to serve because we can show them how great our operators are, what kind of customer service you can get,” Powell said. “Can Chapel Hill Transit expose you to public transit in a way that you're going to use it for your lifetime?”

She says constant improvements, including recent changes to the transit tracking app, help make the experience even better.

“Once you learn to swipe up on the app and find the next available stops and the route times and then swipe left to right. Once you learn how to use it, we feel like it's a very simplified version of a transit app,” Powell said.

The town has more than 500 bus stops. Thanks to a recent $2.1 million federal grant, 17 bus stops are being upgraded with plans to upgrade dozens more after that.

“It sounds like you would build a palace at every bus stop but the truth is that bus stops are about $20,000 a piece between engineering, stormwater retention walls, curbs, gutters, accessibility like ramps for mobility devices,” Powell said.

Powell says staffing levels are still not at capacity, which means about five routes have reduced service. Still, she says they take pride in making sure their public transit is accessible, equitable and enjoyable for everyone that uses it.

“It's nice to be some people's first, or only, experience with public transit. And I think that's what sets us aside from other transit systems,” Powell said.

The new CH Transit app is available in your mobile app store or users can go to the mobile-friendly website.

Chapel Hill Transit is also working on its North South Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. That involves creating 17 new bus stations, which are larger than a typical bus stop. Those stations would be placed along a corridor with a dedicated bus travel lane. The town is in the design phase for that and plan to break ground in two to three years.

Chapel Hill Transit also received a grant to help buy more electric buses as well as a grant to study the feasibility of microtransit, a type of public transportation that bridges the gap in areas that are not served by traditional fixed route buses.