Riding the bus a hit-or-miss experience for carless folks in the Triangle
ON YOUR TV OR STREAMING DEVICE.
>> FASTER BUS SERVICE IS COMING
TO RALEIGH. REGIONAL RAIL IS IN
THE PLANNING PHASES AND THE DOT
HAS ITS EYES ON MORE THAN 20
MAJOR ROAD PROJECTS RIGHT NOW,
PUBLIC TRANSIT IS MAKING A
REBOUND POST KEPT A
POST-PANDEMIC TONIGHT. WRO
STILL FISHER INVESTIGATES.
HOW REALISTIC IS IT TO BE
CARLOSS IN THE TRIANGLE?
>> WE ARE PUTTING THE PA SYSTEM
TO THE TEST GO WILDLY IS FREE.
ALL YOU DO IS WALK ON SOME
RIDERS SAY IT'S VERY
CONVENIENT, BUT MANY OTHERS SAY
THE BUSES ARE TOO SLOW AND
OFTEN NOT ON TIME.
>> CONSTANT CAN JUST YET AND
CONSTANT CONSTRUCTION
SIGNS OF THE TRIANGLE'S
CONSTANT GROWTH. 64 PEOPLE ARE
MOVING HERE. EVERY SINGLE DAY.
WE CANNOT BUILD MORE ROADS TO
GET OUT OF CONTEST.
>> FOR RALEIGH'S MAYOR, THE
SOLUTION IS EXPANDING PUBLIC
TRANSIT. THEY NEED.
>> FREQUENCY
AND RELIABILITY.
>> BUT RIGHT NOW, FREQUENCY
IS LOW WITH WAIT TIMES FROM
15 MINUTES TO ONE HOUR AND
RELIABILITY. WELL, AS THE BUS
USUALLY ON TIME
>> NO, IT'S NOT. THAT WORKS.
GREAT FOR ME. RIGHT? HAD TO GET
TO WORK AT A CERTAIN TIME.
WOULD YOU FEEL CONFIDENT THAT
YOU WILL GET?
>> THE TIME IS 06:25AM. AND
WRAL, PRODUCER PICTURED STRONG
IS PUTTING THE SYSTEM TO THE
TEST. HE NEEDS TO GET HIS
DAUGHTER TO DAYCARE AND THEN
GET TO WORK.
FROM HIS HOME IN NORTH RALEIGH,
THE CLOSEST BUS STOP IS NEARLY
2 MILES AWAY. IT WAS QUICKER
TO WALK 3 MILES STRAIGHT TO
THE DAYCARE HAVING TO DO THIS
TO AND FROM WORK. WITH 2 HUGE
TASK. THE TIME IS NOW 7.25.
HE WAITS 20 MINUTES AT THE BUS.
STOP FOR A 30 MINUTE RIDE OUT
HOUSE. THAT'S WHERE HE
TRANSFERS TO A SECOND BUS RIDES
TO WORK AT 09:00AM A 2
AND-A-HALF HOUR JOURNEY THAT
TYPICALLY TAKES 45 MINUTES
DRIVING. IT WASN'T THE.
>> THE BUS. THAT WAS THE PART
OF THE EXPERIENCE THAT I
WOULDN'T WANT TO REPEAT WAS
GETTING TO THE BUS WITHOUT A
CAR.
>> LIKE MANY BUS RIDERS.
WRAL REPORTER SHELLEY JACKSON
DOESN'T OWN A CAR. I DIDN'T
HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PARKING.
>> THAT GAS PRICES ABOUT CAR
PAYMENTS. BUT SHE QUICKLY
LEARNED RELIABILITY IS SPOTTY.
>> EVEN WITH APPS TO TRACK THE
ARRIVAL OF BUSES. THERE IS A
SUPPOSED TO BE A BOSS NEVER
SHOWED UP.
>> AND THEN THIS IS GOING TO
COME IN 20 MINUTES. AND THEN IT
ACTUALLY CAME IN 15 MINUTES.
SO IT WAS NOT REALLY RELIABLE.
>> THE LATEST DATA SHOWS GO.
RALEIGH HAS AN 84% ON TIME
PERFORMANCE RATE GO DUEHREN.
85% GO TRIANGLE. 83% GO CARRY
MUCH BETTER AT 95% REQUIRES A
LOT OF PLANNING.
>> ITS RIDERSHIP.
>> IS ON THE REBOUND, BUT FEWER
PEOPLE ARE RIDING THE BUS NOW,
THEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
BILL, RALEIGH RIDERSHIP IS UP
18% AND GO. DURHAM IS UP 20%
IN THE LAST YEAR.
>> BUT COMPARED WITH 2019 GO,
RALEIGH IS STILL DOWN. 16% AND
GO. DURHAM IS DOWN 14%. I WISH
THEY HAD ABOUT THE 24 HOUR BUG.
YOU KNOW, LIKE NEW THE BY 2025.
RALEIGH WILL HAVE ITS FIRST
BUS RAPID TRANSIT LINE ON NEW
BERN AVENUE WITH SERVICE.
EVERY 10 MINUTES. 3 MORE BRT
LINES WILL BE BUILT OVER THE
NEXT 12 YEARS. MEANWHILE, GO
TRIANGLE IS EXPLORING A 40 MILE
COMMUTER RAIL LINE FROM CLAYTON
TO WE HAVE TO BE FULLY
COMMITTED TO REGIONAL RAIL.
ADVOCATES SAY FASTER MORE
RELIABLE PUBLIC TRANSIT.
WE'LL GET PEOPLE TO WRITE
INSTEAD OF DRIVE. SO IF YOU
THINK ABOUT THIS COMING EVERY 6
TO 10 MINUTES, YOU KNOW THAT
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT.
>> FOR THE BUS TO RIGHT.
>> AND THE BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE
IS ALSO IMPACTING THE FREQUENCY
OF THESE ROUTES. GO, RALEIGH,
GO DURHAM AND GO TRIANGLE ARE
LOOKING TO FILL A COMBINED.
77 DRIVER POSITIONS. I'M JOE