Second free bus begins Jan. 6

Beginning Monday, Jan. 6, there will be a second fare-free bus for people traveling in Wake Forest and a part of Wakefield. That second bus will run a reverse route – and both will have Saturday service.

Since July of 2008 the town has had a local loop bus running an hour-long route every weekday in a clockwise direction. Beginning Jan. 6 there will be a second bus traveling counter-clockwise on the same route, cutting wait times from 60 to 30 minutes. Both will remain free of charge and will run those routes on both weekdays and Saturdays.

Some enhancements to the loop bus service were introduced in October to make public transportation more accessible to more residents.

In mid-October the single loop bus began offering an early/late extension along North Main Street and a mid-day extension into Heritage. At 6:32 a.m., 7:32 a.m., 8:32 a.m. and 9:32 a.m., the loop bus departs Wake Forest Crossing shopping center at 12536 Capital Boulevard., and makes stops at the intersections of North Main Street/East Oak Avenue and North Wingate Street/West Oak Avenue before proceeding to the CVS Pharmacy stop at the intersection of North White Street/Roosevelt Avenue. The late extension repeats the sequence hourly from 4:32 p.m. to 7:32 p.m.

The mid-day extension into Heritage is now offered hourly from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. At the top of each hour, the loop bus departs downtown Wake Forest and travels to a bus stop at the intersection of Heritage Branch Road/Branch Ferry Court before proceeding to the stop at Wakefield Commons, 14600 New Falls of Neuse Road.

Wake Forest’s bus service includes the loop buses and the Wake Forest-Raleigh Express, a weekday rush-hour express to Triangle Town Center and downtown Raleigh. The result of a 2008 partnership between the Town of Wake Forest, GoTriangle, GoRaleigh and the City of Raleigh, both the local circulator and express routes are operated using GoRaleigh vehicles.

While the loop buses are free, the Wake Forest-Raleigh Express fare is $3 each way for adults. Daily passes and a variety of other passes are available at the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 South Brooks Street, and GoTriangle Regional Transit Center, 901 Slater Road, Durham. Passes may also be purchased online at www.GoTriangle.org<http://www.gotriangle.org/>.

As an alternative to driving to and from work, riding the bus offers many advantages, including flexible schedules; low cost; reduced wear, tear and maintenance on your personal vehicle; the opportunity to get work done during your commute, or read the paper – or just relax; and reduced emissions, cleaner air.

For complete information about Wake Forest Bus Service, including route schedules, maps, brochures and holiday schedules, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/transportation/bus-service<https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/transportation/bus-service> or contact Transportation Engineer Jonathan Jacobs at 919-435-9441 or jjacobs@wakeforestnc.gov<mailto:jjacobs@wakeforestnc.gov>.

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