Raleigh's Bus System: Hub vs Grid

0:00It's March 31st. Welcome in. This is Durham News today, where local news meets AI. Raleigh's Moore Square bus station is turning heads as a hotspot for crime and loitering, holding back the downtown comeback after the pandemic. The real issue runs deeper. It's the old school hub and spoke bust set up that forces riders to funnel through downtown, even when that's not their final. Stop. Switching to a grid system could change that. Starting folks zip straight to spots like North Hills from NC State without the downtown detour. Raleigh's grown huge since the station opened in 1988 population, doubled from 200,000 to over 500,000, mostly up north where people live and work without needing the city center. Former Mayor Mary Ann Baldwin, now heading Go Triangle, pushes hard for this shift, saying the hub model fits cities with one big work hub, not. Spread out Raleigh like today. X Go Triangle Chair Sig Hutchinson calls it outdated, like Blockbuster Video.

1:00But Go Raleigh's transportation manager David Walker defends it, noting the streets work better that way with no change plans. Look at success stories. Go Triangle bummed Durham to Chapel Hill buses to every 15 minutes last August, and ridership doubled. Houston ditched hub and spoke in 2015 for direct routes and more frequency, boosting bus and rail rides by 6.8%. With growth exploding and riders wanting options, the push for a grid feels timely now. Could ease station crowds, amp up service and get more folks? On buses for good.