GoRaleigh to replace FRX with on‑demand MicroLink service in Fuquay Varina starting Jan. 5, 2026

GoRaleigh will end the FRX express route to Fuquay Varina on Jan. 2, 2026 and introduce a new on‑demand MicroLink service for the town on Jan. 5, 2026, Taylor Killeen, senior transit planner with GoRaleigh, told the Fuquay Varina Town Board during its October meeting. The MicroLink pilot will use funds previously allocated to the FRX under the Wake Transit plan and will be fare‑free for its first year.

The pilot will operate on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Killeen said. Riders will request trips via an app or by phone; vehicles will pick up and drop off at the nearest safe corner, providing “corner‑to‑corner” service within the defined MicroLink zone. The service will maintain connections to regional routes including the Wake Tech 40X and GoTriangle 305.

“We will be sundowning the current FRX service, starting on 01/02/2026 to make way for a new improved service called MicroLink,” Killeen said. She and planning director Pam Davidson said the MicroLink pilot is budget‑neutral for the town because it uses money from the Wake Transit half‑cent sales tax passed in 2016.

Officials said they expect ridership to grow. “We’re expecting it to quadruple the current ridership, hopefully, and definitely lower the cost per boarding,” Killeen said. After the first year, fares will match GoRaleigh’s regional structure; staff referenced standard fares such as $1.25 per ride and $2.50 for a day pass as the likely framework once the pilot moves to regular fares.

Board members asked how fares and policy decisions are set regionally. Killeen and Davidson explained that fare structure and regional policy are coordinated through the Wake Transit plan and multiple regional advisory and governing bodies; local representation on those bodies includes town staff and the mayor, and planning staff attend the technical committees that shape routes and scoring for funding.

On youth and age policies, Killeen said GoRaleigh’s rules apply: children 12 and under ride free when accompanied by an adult; a youth fare category covers ages 13–18 and was described as part of GoRaleigh’s existing fare programs. For the pilot year the service is fare‑free for qualifying riders, Killeen said.

MicroLink will be on‑demand rather than scheduled; planners said peak‑period patterns will be monitored and adjustments made as service data are collected. Davidson said GoRaleigh will begin operating the pilot with outreach and promotional materials in the coming months and that the town’s transit representatives will continue to monitor fare policy and route performance.

If the pilot proceeds as planned, the FRX will stop operating Jan. 2, 2026 and MicroLink will begin Jan. 5, 2026. Killeen said the pilot’s on‑demand model and regional connections aim to preserve access to Wake Tech and downtown Raleigh while improving local flexibility.