The Board of County Commissioners approved the Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) presented by the Orange County Transportation Services (OCTS) at a meeting on Oct. 15.

OCTS director Nish Trivedi shared the SRTP, which addresses the fiscal years 2026 to 2030, at the meeting.

In his presentation, Trivedi detailed the goals and objectives of the plan, which were equity, economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, transportation access for everyone, and enabling what was described as an affordable and attainable quality of life.

The short-term transit service improvements listed in Trivedi’s presentation included discontinuing the current Orange-Alamance Connector, improving the Mobility on Demand service and the Hillsborough Circulator, establishing a Mebane Circulator, and consolidating the Hill to Hill service.

“People are really excited about the improvements to the Hillsborough Circulator,” Trivedi said. “People are very excited in improving the messaging and access to some of these areas.”

A demand-response weekend service was the only medium-term improvement, a category that aims for the later years of the SRTP.

Long-term projects, which are scheduled for beyond 2030, included a second phase of both the Hill to Hill consolidation and the Hillsborough Circulator improvements, as well as expansion of the Mobility on Demand service and reinstatement of an updated Orange-Alamance Connector.

Some specific policies and programs that were recommended in conjunction with the SRTP were alternative fare payment, a transit information campaign, improved demand-response booking, the addition of rural transit hubs, and improvements to bus stops and walking access to them. Medium-term recommendations were to hire a mobility manager and to conduct a fare study.

As part of the process of developing the SRTP, the OCTS conducted two phases of engagement with residents, during which they collected feedback.

During these engagement efforts, which included pop-up events, presentations, and surveys, the OCTS found particularly strong support for programs aimed at accommodating older riders and people with disabilities, changing the Hillsborough Circulator, creating a Mebane Circulator, and improving walkability.

“Medical services are one of the major needs in some of our demand response. People are excited about the possibility of a Mebane Circulator,” Trivedi said. “Getting people access to county facilities, county services through our transit operations.”

Respondents also expressed concern about the lack of all-day fixed route service between Hillsborough and Mebane, desire for weekend service and longer weekday hours, and a need to reliable real-time information more easily available.

Upon recommendation from the Transportation Advisory Service, a the Orange County Climate Action Plan was also incorporated into the SRTP. With that update, the Transportation Advisory Service and the Orange Unified Transportation Board both unanimously recommended that the Board of County Commissioners approve the SRTP.

“I’d just like to express my appreciation for everyone that worked on this,” said District 2 commissioner Earl McKee. “This is very much in line with what I’ve considered to be our primary responsibility to work on local transportation options and then build toward regional in the future.”

To learn more about the details of the SRTP, click here.

 


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