What is PART?

PROVISION OF PART PROGRAMS

PART Express: PART Express is the regional bus system connecting the major cities of the Piedmont and bringing people from the outlying counties into the urban areas. 11 PART Express Routes are offered during weekdays with one Route running on the weekend. PART vehicles drive 1,202,331 revenue miles per year. There are 26 Park & Ride lots scattered across the Piedmont Triad. PART served 551,167 passenger trips in FY ’12.

Transportation Demand Management (TDM): The goal of our TDM program is to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and emissions by encouraging people to try alternative forms of transportation such as carpooling, vanpooling, biking, walking, telecommuting and transit, instead of driving alone. During FY 2011, TDM efforts reduced VMT by 2.5 million miles and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) by 50.3 tons. To achieve its TDM goals, PART serves as a resource to both employers and individual commuters. 15 and 7-Passenger vans are leased to commuters who live at least 10 miles from their workplace. PART hosts Share the Ride NC, a free rideshare matching service, which allows commuters to find other individuals who are interested in sharing a ride and have similar needs. PART manages a guaranteed emergency ride home program for commuters who either live or work in a PART member county and use an alternate form of transportation on the day that an emergency arises.

Triad Commute Challenge: The Triad Commute Challenge is an annual TDM effort conducted by PART and Triad Air Awareness in coordination with local area transit systems. Participants are encouraged to try an alternate form of transportation at least one time over a three-month period instead of driving alone. Results have shown that once people try an alternative mode of transportation one time, they continue to do so in the future!

Triad Air Awareness: Triad Air Awareness is an outreach and education program housed at Forsyth County Environmental Affairs Department and partnered with PART to bring air quality information and solutions to the Triad Region. Triad Air Awareness works closely with the PART TDM Program and Marketing Program.

Regional Transportation Planning: PART staff is involved in a number of regional projects related to transit planning, congestion management along regionally significant highway corridors, and impacts of growth and development on mobility and our transportation network. In the area of transit PART is participating in the Regional Transit Technology Project along with GTA, Hi tran and WSTA. PART led the Piedmont Triad Seamless Mobility Study which included all transit and community transportation systems in its region. The study made 54 recommendations as to how the systems could operate more efficiently with enhanced coordination. PART is the custodian of the Regional Travel Demand Model for four MPO’s and NCDOT. The model is a transportation planning tool that evaluates the effectiveness of transportation and transit enhances. PART is the facilitator of a multi-jurisdictional land use and transportation plan for an area located along the Guilford-Forsyth county line southeast of Kernersville and northwest of High Point. 

SERVICE VEHICLES

There are currently 36 vehicles in the PART fleet, consisting of Orion, Daimler Chrysler and StarTrans makes. 18 Orion VII 40' buses with 39 passenger seats, 8 Orion VII 35' buses with 31 passenger seats, 3 Dodge Sprinters with seating 16 passenger seats, 3 Daimler CL 100’s with 18 passenger seats, 2 StarTrans Tour Liners with 31 passenger seats, and 2 StarTrans with 18 passenger seats. All vehicles are wheelchair accessible except the Dodge Sprinters. All vehicles also have bike racks.

OPERATING COSTS AND FUNDING

Annual Operating and Capital budgets currently exceed $15 million. Revenues are received from the Federal Transit Administration, NC Department of Transportation, the Counties in the Partnership, fare box, and the local Metropolitan Planning Organizations.

CONTRACTED SERVICES

PART Express bus service is provided by contract through National Express. The contractor is responsible for operations to include drivers, supervisors, PART Hub staff, and maintenance. National Express provides 60,000 hours of service annually.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Additional Information is available at www.partnc.org or by emailing info@partnc.org