Free downtown connector bus debuts in August

It's been almost eighteen months since word first came out of a free downtown bus connector/circulator service intended to link downtown and Duke's campus.

And while there's been fretting that tight municipal budgets would put the idea on ice, it's clearly had support from elected officialdom -- standing out, for instance, as being just about the only new service listed in this year's budget guidelines for approval.

Now comes word that the circulator is officially on for summer, just in time for Duke's back-to-school days... something most appropriate given the university's support for the capital expense to buy hybrid buses to eventually run the service, and Duke's promise of ongoing operating support for the service.

Last week, the N&O noted, the check from Duke was cut and ready to go. And this week, a Duke news office press release announces the March launch of the service.

It's designed to provide free, fast, "last-mile" connectivity through Durham's core, from Main St. at Golden Belt west through downtown, past Brightleaf Square and Ninth Street until turning up Erwin Rd. and terminating on Trent Dr. near Duke South (which itself provides quick connectivity to both West Campus and the hospital.)

Service will run from 7am until midnight Mondays through Saturdays. Buses will arrive at stops every 15 minutes from 7am-6pm weekdays, and on 20 minute headways the rest of the time.

As we noted here when the concept was first announced, the campus-city connection is important -- but by no means the only value of the service, with the connector providing big benefits to everyday transit riders, too.

Given that Duke represents the largest employer in Durham, there's plenty of traffic that transfers in to Durham Station from peripheral lines and needs to make the connection to Duke's campus. The arrival of the circulator will provide more frequent connectivity along this core spine, reducing the impact of missed bus connections, for instance.

It also promises to be a boon for neighborhoods like in walking distance to the connector, whose residents will be steps from a free way to get around Durham for their daily needs.

We've long said at BCR that to be successful, transit service needs to be more frequent so as to take away the schedule uncertainty that comes from today's bus service -- especially if you're having to contemplate the impact of missing one bus and waiting a half-hour for the next one. That's something that vanishes in a world where the Connector runs.

Look for the DATA fleet to start operating the route in August, with six dedicated buses coming online for the service in late 2011 or early 2012.

Comments

[AdrianHands]

Will the new bus have bike racks?

[Natalie]

Is there a route map with stops listed yet?

[Dale McKeel]

All DATA buses have bike racks that hold two bikes.

[Natalie]

n/m found the duke press release http://news.duke.edu/2010/06/connector.html

[Erik Landfried]

This is yet another example of why the Downtown Loop needs to be converted to two-way. If the bus could take a left from Chapel Hill St onto Great Jones and another left on Main St, it wouldn't have to serve Five Points twice in the westbound direction.

[TSQ75]

is it geared toward durham residents? will we have to show ID?

[Rob Gillespie]

@TSQ-
No ID, just get on the bus and ride.

[Kelly]

No American Tobacco on the route? That should be included, especially since Duke has so many offices down there now. And it would allow free transportation to PAC & Bulls games as well.

[Erik Landfried]

How would a bus serve that area? Mangum and Jackie Robinson Dr are one-way, Blackwell is closed off for games. Once again, the lack of two-way streets downtown kills options. The only realistic way to get closer is serve Pettigrew St instead of Main St. and have no stops within the Loop. I don't think that's a good trade-off.

Besides, Durham Station is on the NW corner of American Tobacco and both that stop and the stops on Main St are about a block from DPAC and two from the Bulls stadium.

[Michael Bacon]

It's a block and a half in either of two directions from Ambacco to get to a stop on the connector. I know that if you're down on the southern end it's further, but really, it's not that far.

[Michael Bacon]

Guh. Farther, not further.

[Chris]

Anything further, father?

[John Schelp]

The key to the new Connector is to keep it simple. In Durham's case, Main Street is the backbone. You look up, you see the bus coming, you know where it's going. It's predictable.

When we were first discussing the route here, I tried the free Wilmington Circulator. I stood at my assigned corner and watched the Circulator cross the street a block away and then disappear. It was herky-jerky route that tried to please everyone. I was left wondering when/if it was coming my way.

Durham and Main Street were laid out along the RR tracks. Most of your destinations in the Main Street corridor are within walking distance of Main Street. (If you, for instance, pull the route to the north-side of downtown, you're pulling the route away from American Tobacco.)

Durham's Main Street route is easy to understand. Once you start making too many turns off Main, you're creating confusion -- especially for folks who aren't as familiar with our streets. (The reason it has to go "off-course" to Durham Station is to qualify for federal funding; and it'll get even better when NCCU reaches a point where it can chip in and extend the line from Golden Belt to Fayetteville Street.)

The Main Street Connector. Good things are happening in the Bull City.

[AH]

Was an extension to NCCU considered, or will it be? I think this is a very cool project and I look forward to using it. But it does look like only some parts of Durham are being "connected."

[Phil]

Related: can anyone ride the Robertson Scholars bus between Duke and UNC?

[Bull City Rising]

@AH: From what I heard in some of the discussions about the Connector last fall in the DAD group examining the idea, the big challenge for Central was finding the dollars to bring to the table to support an extension of the circulator to their campus.

There's understandable and appropriate pressure to push for Central's inclusion in the City -- and you'll note that public officials almost always talk about Durham being the home to two great universities, NC Central and Duke, always linked.

That said, NCCU as a state-funded institution is under different constraints than a private institution, especially in the current time of budget cuts.

An underreported story I'd love to know more about: the revelation that Central affiliates will have free access to DATA services in general. I'm curious whether NCCU stepped up with funding to make that a reality, or whether City politicians felt it was a necessary step for parity....

[Rob Gillespie]

@BCR-
I may be mistaken, but I thought the free fare for NCCU affiliates was only going to be rolled out to certain bus lines, not to all of them. I can't find the HS article, though, so I'm not certain. I know that there is already one route that NCCU students ride for free (the route serving Central's campus).

@Phil-
Anyone can ride the Robertson Bus. In theory, you should be an affiliate of one of the universities, but I know some folks that use it for daily commuting that aren't affiliates. The only time IDs have been checked has been during Duke's LDOC celebration (last day of classes). Also, Duke threatened to check IDs on the day of the NCAA tournament, but they hadn't done that by 6:30pm.

[Michael Bacon]

Rob,

There have been other times that ID's have been checked. I don't know the reason for this, but there were definitely times in the past two years when drivers were checking ID's at the door.

On the one hand, Duke and UNC fund it, so it's their prerogative to decide who gets to ride it and who doesn't. On the other hand, it seems kind of silly to have empty seats on a bus rolling back and forth between Chapel Hill and Durham when people want to ride it.

[Travis Greene]

Re: Robertson bus.

They should just charge 10 cents or something minimal for non-Duke/UNC students.

[Erik Landfried]

Correcting a few misconceptions:

1. The DATA Route that used to serve as an NCCU circulator is no longer in service.

2. NCCU students, faculty, and staff will be allowed on DATA Route 5 if they board from Cecil St north to Durham Station for free using their ID's. They will still need to pay for boardings on other parts of Route 5 and all other DATA routes.

3. The Robertson Scholars bus is NOT paid for by either Duke or UNC. The Robertson Scholars Foundation pays for 100% of the service and currently contracts with Duke Transit to provide the express service between UNC and Duke.

[Crystal]

I wish the first pick up of the day was before 7am for those of us that do shift work. Would love to utilize this bus but need to be on campus a little earlier than seven.

[Dan]

This is exciting and I am eager to see how many people actually use it. I guess time will tell. I remember the old Durham Bulls "trolley" bus in the 80s/90s and the bizarre-for-Durham horse drawn carriage around Brightleaf area in the early 2000s. Next we'll create a helicopter circulator.

[DK]

Thanks for sharing this news. Love the idea of a downtown connector. Lived car-free for the last six years before just moving back to the Triangle. Any option besides logging yet another single-person trip is welcome.

[John Schelp]

The thinking is to get a simple, successful connector off the ground and then add to it. (Seems to me that NCCU and a north-south route would be priorities.) Duke is contributing a total of $1 million. A good decision that benefits both Duke and the community. (Not everyone at Duke was in favor of doing this.)

I understand the City plans to initiate fare-free service on August 16 to students, faculty and staff who possess an NCCU ID and who board DATA Route 5 (serves NCCU along Fayetteville St) between NCCU and downtown.

[Joe]

Great to hear this is happening. I used to daydream about a streetcar route that connected 9th Street/East Campus to the central business district back when I was living in Durham.

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