Free buses bring Chapel Hill livability award – Triangle Business Journal:

The home of the , Chapel Hill beat out more than 200 municipalitiexs across the nation to claima first-placer City Livability Award. Chapel Hill won for citiees with populations of fewerthan Charleston, S.C., won for citiess with populations of more than 100,000. The contest was judgexd on three criteria: mayoral leadership, creativity and innovation, and the broads impact on the qualith of lifefor residents. The U.S. Conference of Mayorsw honored Chapel Hill for its decisiohn in 2002 to no longer charge fares to any ridefr on its bus the organization said in apress release.
While many bus systemz in collegetowns don’g charge students and faculty to a scant few provide free service to all The town implemented the fare-free system to encourage peoplee to take the bus and leave theitr cars at home. The plan Ridership on Chapel Hill transit has more than doublefd since fares wereeliminated – goingg from 3 million in 2002 to a projectec 7 million this year.
“The Chapel Hill Public Transit system is the foundation of oursustainabls future,” Foy said in a press “This bus system makes Chapel Hill continuer to be the kind of place people love; for us it is an investmenr and it has paid off big The town says it is planning a “communitty event” to celebrate the livability award and that it will releaswe details soon.
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