Letter to the Editor – Questions About Chapel Hill’s Public Transit System

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

By Dabney Grinnan

Hi,

I am so grateful for your work–and yes, I’m a subscriber. 

I feel as if our property taxes are becoming unsustainable and that a big piece of our budget is our bus system. 

The town of Chapel Hill says the free public transit system does over 7 million rides a year. This number, though, is hard to prove with the info the city releases.

So I looked at the Federal Transit Administration’s data. That suggests the actual number is around half of that.

The overall budget for the system for 2025/2026 is 7.78M. Of that, the town pays 21%, Carrboro pays 7%, the country pays 20%, and the university pays 33%.

Using those numbers and the Fed’s estimated ridership, the cost per ride for Chapel HIll alone is just under $2.00 a ride. The cost for every ride overall is just over $9.00 a ride.

I’m sorry, but this seems expensive to me. Furthermore, this cost hinges on the state and the Feds continuing to help fund projects. (The two provide 15% of the budget.) This seems iffy to me. Do you have any actual data on ridership? Usage? And do you think your paper would be willing to write about the situation?

Thanks!

Dabney Grinnan