Wouldn’t an Extended R-line route travel to NC State and back to DTR increase our Transit needs ? OR even to Centennial Campus via Mission Valley…NCSU…to DTR. ? Just an idea as Our Transit needs grows each day.
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I think if you want to go that far, a circulator isn’t the right tool. I think you’re just asking for better, more frequent bus routes. I’m all about that!
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You’re right, I guess I am. Just dreaming here…
But it would be Cool though.
How about if they divided the current loop in half and had each bus run in a circle half the size of the current one? - essentially two smaller loops. Each bus would make their new, smaller circle in 15 minutes vs the current two buses taking 30 minutes each. If you wanted to get from one end to the other, you would have to jump off and catch the other loop bus but it should take you about the same time it does today.
I know some other cities create a “fare-free” zone within their downtown areas. We could do the same thing if you are traveling on a GoRaleigh bus and eliminate the R-Line?
(Also, I see in the downtown BRT plan that some of the alternatives call for a circulator between GoRaleigh Station and Raleigh Union Station - how would that affect the R-Line?)
That would work if we had something like the oyster card but the current GoCard is half-baked.
Also, could we look into getting a tap-to-pay app on our phones as an alternative?
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I read somewhere that GoTriangle and GoRaleigh is (very slowly) looking into eventually funding a payment system replacement in the early 2020s… can’t remember which report it was though.
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I’ve heard that putting out a new all-inclusive payment system is in the works in conjunction with the expanded bus network under the Wake County Transit plan - don’t know any details beyond that though.
How about not having the drivers take a 45 minute break every time they pass the Convention center? Also, can we downsize to busses half the size of the current ones? They are never even close to capacity and the smaller size may help them navigate their loops a bit more quickly. Also, what does this group think about charging a dollar per ride?
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Autonomous buses!!
Eric Lamb with the city transportation department has talked about using autonomous shuttles between GoRaleigh Station and Raleigh Union Station at some conferences/meetings I’ve been to.
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All the transit agencies are looking to do an integrated fare system. How that shapes up is still an open question, but it’s definitely happening sooner rather than later.
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1000x yes! One triangle-wide card to get on to anything. That’s the future.
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I don’t see it as a problem because you will still get to where you want to go, but you’ll have an option to go in a clockwise direction. Sometimes that clockwise direction will get you to where you want to go quicker.
Right now, the most arduous part of the RLine Route is from Glenwood South to Moore Square. These are two popular “hubs” of activity that are on the opposite side of downtown from each other. However, the trip from Moore Square to Glenwood South is relatively fast. If people had the choice to take the counter clockwise route between them when originating in Moore Square, and a clockwise route between the when originating Glenwood South, transit between the two would be faster. Certainly, there would be some route adjustment to manage one way streets, but that’s easy to overcome by basically moving the clockwise route one block where necessary, or by going around the opposite 2 sides of a full square block to adjust.
If Bird can charge $1 just to start a scooter and if the city can make it easy to pay that, I’d be all for it. I like the autonomous thought and a faster loop by reducing the frequency or stop duration at the convention center. I’ve been able to walk from the West to Fayetteville nearly as fast as one of the R-Line buses in the morning if I wasn’t able to get to a Glenwood stop fast enough.
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I got this Pic from newraleigh.com I would Like to ask if the R-Line can be re-routed so that it can go to RUS to GoRaleigh moore square or to the Capital district ? 
From the GoTriangle FY2019 work plan: http://goforwardnc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FY2019_Adopted_Wake_Transit_Work_Plan.pdf (page 58)
“Bus Technology
A total of $150,000 is programmed in FY 2019 for a regional technology integration study.
This study will review farebox equipment, mobile fare payment options, camera systems,
Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) systems, automatic annunciators, mobile and fixed
passenger information systems, electronic signage, Automatic Passenger Counter (APC),
Driver Control Units, and scheduling and dispatch software packages for fixed route, ondemand,
and paratransit services. GoTriangle will take the lead in developing a cost share
agreement that establishes 60% of the cost responsibility from Wake Transit resources
and 40% from GoDurham, Chapel Hill Transit, and non-Wake GoTriangle sources. The
outcome of the study will be a technology plan for next generation equipment and
software to improve operations and customer interactions across all types of transit
service in the three-county area.”
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I didn’t notice this until now but actually in the Wake County Transit bus plan - the R-Line is going to be eliminated
Page 3 - http://goforwardnc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/WAKE-SRTP-Transit-Svc-Chngs-Vol-1-GO-RALEIGH.pdf
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Thanks for sharing. Does this mean it’s eliminated in 2025?
Miami Beach eliminated their loop bus route through South Beach and replaced it with trolley service. the southbeach local was 25 cents a ride, but the trolley’s are free. They have less frills, wooden seats, and are smaller, but they go more places and in different directions. I wonder what the replacement plan is for RLine? By 2015, there are going to be tons more residents and retail downtown, so the demand for downtown loop transit will only grow.
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No idea but sometime before then?
If ever the City gets rid of the R-Line altogether, they should invest in to making it a trolly-like service, But I rather see that they keep the R-Line as folks need to get around the DTR core.