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Rutherford County Transit has been named the NC Rural Transit System of the Year at the NC Public Transportation Association conference.
This award honors an NCPTA Transit System member that demonstrates exceptional achievement and leadership in the communities it serves for the past year. This system best represents the public transportation industry by promoting mobility, removing barriers that cause isolation, promoting economic growth while providing safe, efficient, and reliable services.
"I am extremely proud of Director Giles and her team for being named the Transit System of the Year by the North Carolina Public Transportation Association (NCPTA)," said Rutherford County Manager Steve Garrison. "Their focus is truly on improving the quality of services and accessibility to county transit services for the citizens they serve and it is validating to see that the NCPTA concurs."
"We are extremely grateful for the state recognition for the level of service we provide at Rutherford County Transit," said Kerry Giles, transit director. "Helping our citizens get to necessary life connections drives our efforts every day. We have a great team that work tirelessly to help people live independently. Transportation doesn't need to be a barrier for our citizens," she said.
According to statistics, Rutherford County Transit saw an increase in ridership back to new pre-COVID levels. The TriCity XPress deviated fixed route has surged to ridership of 3,197 trips in March 2023.Pre-pandemic ridership was around 2,000 trips per month.
Transit also improvised route efficiency in 2023 by providing more trips with fewer miles.
There were 55,439 trips in 2023 compared to 49,261 in 2022.
Total miles for 2022 were 392,990 and in 2023 miles totaled 383,791.
Rutherford County Transit received a $25,000 grant from the RHI Legacy Foundation to provide free transportation to anyone going for cancer treatments or needing a ride to the grocery store or food pantry. Food insecurity is a large issue in Rutherford County and Transit makes sure access to food is not an issue for our citizens.
Rutherford County Transit was able to partner with several organizations in 2023. One was with Grahamtown, an underserved area in the community that has an Atrium Health bus that comes each week to provide care to citizens. Transit has offered free transportation on Thursdays to Grahamtown so citizens can access healthcare and their food pantry.
Rutherford County Transit has also been promoting activities with agencies along the TriCity Xpress deviated fixed route, such as the one for the Veterans monthly Coffee and Conversation event, with increased ridership.
Rutherford County Transit was able to work with the homeless shelter, Out of the Ashes, and Chick-Fil-A to assist an individual to get to work each day. Director Giles said this is assisting one man in moving to transitional housing, now that he has a steady income.
Rutherford County Transit was also a part of the $20 million RAISE grant that was awarded to Rutherford County and the Towns of Rutherfordton and Spindale. This is a Federal Grant given to towns and communities for the improvement and betterment of streets to help improve access for motorists and pedestrians and to spur economic development along those streets.
The plan is a major road improvement from Maple Street in Rutherfordton along Charlotte Road and through Spindale to Oakland Road. Transit will move four of its Tri-City Xpress bus shelters to be located along this improved roadway with actual pull offs from the roadway to a bus stop with a bus shelter. This will provide a much safer boarding point and improve visibility as these four stops would be on a busy corridor between the towns.
