County approves changes to Tri City Express route; officials say service will expand hours and add stops
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Summary
The Rutherford County Board approved proposed changes to the Tri City Express route after a public hearing; transit officials said the fare‑free route will begin earlier and run later and several stops will be relocated to safer, ADA‑compliant pull‑outs.
The Rutherford County Board of Commissioners approved changes to the Tri City Express bus route following a public hearing during the board meeting. The transit department said the route alterations aim to improve connectivity for riders while keeping the service fare‑free.
“Transit bridges the gap for a lot of our citizens between their challenges and what opportunities they can have,” said Carrie Giles of the county transit department, who presented the route changes and background. Giles told commissioners the Tri City Express runs through Rutherfordton, Spindale and Forest City along the county’s main economic corridor and is one of the system’s fastest‑growing lines.
Key service changes Giles described include shifting operating hours from roughly 7:45 a.m.–4:30 p.m. to a new schedule that starts at 7 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m., expanding access around peak times for commuters, students and courthouse users. The department also proposed removing several existing stops and consolidating them to the safer side of the road; new or relocated stops listed in meeting materials include pull‑outs and shelters on Charlotte Road and Main Street, a Dollar General stop on U.S. 221 South, stops near Oak Villa Apartments and a relocated stop at Main Street Baptist to the Oakland Road intersection.
Giles provided ridership history to justify the changes: the Tri City Express carried an estimated 500 trips per month in 2016, rose to about 800 trips per month when the route became fare‑free, and then increased to roughly 1,600 after a 2019 routing change; current monthly ridership has averaged about 24,100 trips on the route, Giles said.
Giles emphasized federal funding covers most transit operating costs and said the system does not use local funds for operations. During public comment, Karen Federighi, who lives at Park Crossing Apartments, said moving a stop near Dollar General on 221 South would help residents who currently rely on the bus for medical and shopping trips.
After the public hearing and discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the changes to the Tri City Express route; the board voted to adopt the recommended modifications.
Giles said the department expects to implement the revised schedule and stop locations in March, pending North Carolina Department of Transportation approval of new signage and any final coordination with town governments for stop placements.
