Chapel Hill Transit

Chapel Hill Transit provides public bus and van transportation services in the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, as well as on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is located in the southeast corner of Orange County within the Research Triangle area of North Carolina.

The transit system runs on fixed routes without charging fares. This is possible because the towns and the university share the costs for operating and improving the service each year.

In 2025, many people used Chapel Hill Transit. This shows how important the service is for getting people around the area.

History

In 1992, Chapel Hill Transit worked with a group focused on clean energy and a company from California to test a special bus. This bus could carry 22 people and helped keep the air clean by using less fuel. Before this, they had tested another bus from Denver, Colorado.

In 2006, a new director was hired to manage the transit system. That same year, Chapel Hill Transit announced plans to add tracking devices to their buses. These devices would let riders see when buses would arrive using the internet or their cell phone. They also planned to put up digital signs at some stops, but these signs were very expensive.

Chapel Hill Transit also bought new buses that used less fuel. In 2006, they bought sixteen new buses for about $5.8 million. Most of the money came from federal grants, with some from the town. Three of these new buses could run on both diesel and electricity. These buses arrived in 2007 and replaced older ones. The town also had enough money left to buy four very long buses.

Fixed route service

The Chapel Hill Transit system has 20 bus routes, but only 9 run on weekends. Three weekday routes are express routes marked with an X. Buses run from early morning to evening and connect to GoTriangle, Orange County Transportation Authority, and PART at Manning Drive. Each bus has a bike rack for two bikes and Wi‑Fi.

A Senior Shuttle runs on weekdays, making 7 stops each hour in a loop around Chapel Hill and Carrboro. It uses special vehicles for passengers who have trouble moving. All regular routes and special services are fare free. The Tar Heel Express charges a fee for rides.

Safe Ride service

The Safe Ride program, paid for by the University of North Carolina, offers overnight rides when school is in session. It runs only on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Three Safe Ride routes start at the Varsity Theater on E Franklin Street on late evenings when the university is open.

Tar Heel Express shuttles

Chapel Hill Transit runs a Tar Heel Express for special events like UNC Football and Men's Basketball games. These shuttles go every 10 to 15 minutes between the park and rides and Kenan Memorial Stadium or Dean E. Smith Center. They stop 45 minutes after the event ends.

Paratransit

A free "EZ Rider" paratransit service helps people who have special needs or are older and cannot use the regular bus routes. This service works during the day on weekdays and Saturdays. People need to plan ahead to use it.

Park & Ride

Chapel Hill Transit has three Park & Ride lots in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Parking costs $2 per day. You can pay using a meter on site or the Parkmobile app. You can also get monthly passes for $21 or yearly passes for $250. The University of North Carolina runs four more Park & Ride lots. These are only for UNC employees and students. If you have a UNC pass, you can use any of Chapel Hill Transit’s Park & Ride lots.

Chapel Hill Transit Park & Ride lots

UNC Park & Ride lots

Bus Rapid Transit

Chapel Hill Transit is planning a new 8.2-mile bus route called North-South Bus Rapid Transit (NSBRT). It will go from Eubanks Road Park & Ride to Southern Village. The bus will travel along NC 86 (MLK Jr. Blvd.) into downtown Chapel Hill, pass through the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, and continue to Southern Village.

This new route is based on the popular NS route. The project will cost between $96-105.9 million, with some money from federal funding. The bus service is expected to start in 2028. It will run every 8 minutes during busy times and every 10-20 minutes during quieter times. The current NS bus route will be replaced by this new fast bus service. Most of the route will have special lanes just for the buses.

Proposed BRT stations

1. Eubanks Park & Ride
2. Weaver Dairy Road
3. New Parkside
4. Northfield
5. Piney Mountain
6. Estes
7. Hillsborough
8. Franklin
9. Cameron (northbound)
10. Carrington Hall (northbound)
11. Pittsboro / Credit Union (southbound)
12. Manning / East
13. NC 54
14. Culbreth
15. Southern Village Park & Ride