It was very gratifying for me to hear that Mayor Randy Voller and the Pittsboro town board unanimously passed a motion to support the trial bus service from Pittsboro to Chapel Hill. The Chatham County Board of Commissioners had already passed a motion to support the bus service, but in order for this effort to succeed Pittsboro also had to support it. This type of collaboration between Chatham County, Chapel Hill Transit and the Town of Pittsboro is an example of how cooperation can be leveraged to maximize opportunity.
Having traveled throughout the world during the past 50 years, I have had the opportunity to see the public transit systems in Europe, Russia, Japan and South America. I have always been impressed by the excellent public transportation systems in other parts of the world, especially the ones in the areas I mentioned. Therefore, it was a pleasant surprise to hear that bus service will be available daily on a trial basis to Chapel Hill.
It is my understanding that the Federal Transit Administration working with Chapel Hill Transit authorized approximately $176,000 for an 18-month trial program for bus service to and from Chapel Hill as long as Chatham County and Pittsboro participated. Apparently, the county and town have funded a six-month pilot program. The pilot program should enable all parties to evaluate the efficacy of the program so that this pilot program becomes a permanent reality in due time. If the program becomes permanent, I hope that it will be expanded to include Raleigh and the airport.
I thank our elected officials in Pittsboro and Chatham County for their leadership and foresight in supporting this effort. It should be remembered that every gallon of gas and oil we save is a gallon that does NOT have to be imported.
L.A. Voller
Major (Retired), USAFR
Pittsboro