I love birthdays! Mainly for the cake. In this case, as an avid transit rider and advocate, I am celebrating the birthday of Chapel Hill Transit, which turns 50 years old today, August 1.
The Town of Chapel Hill is celebrating Chapel Hill Transit’s birthday with a year-long celebration.
Humble beginnings
In 1974, Chapel Hill’s Mayor Howard Lee directed the town to begin the transit service, collaborating with UNC. (Carrboro would come later.) The Daily Tar Heel called the initiative the “dawn of a new era,” remarking that the project “culminates years of debate over proposals for the town’s transportation and traffic problems.” The initial map of the system showed eight routes — four city buses, two UNC campus buses, and two buses specifically for park and ride lots.
Five years ago, former Mayor Howard Lee reminisced about the transit system’s beginnings.
The town has released a timeline of key dates, and a vintage collection of bus images – a must look if you’re a bus geek like me.
I dug into my phone to select a few more recent bus photos.
