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r <br /> Governments (TJCOG) , TTA , and Orange Public Transportation ( OPT) regarding regional <br /> transportation planning initiatives . Several representatives from the County and the <br /> municipalities of Orange County represent our interests on regional transportation boards . In our <br /> work with TTA , Orange County representatives are currently checking out the availability of <br /> funds for a transit station as phase III of the Regional Transit Plan . Also , TTA says that a <br /> Durham-Hillsborough bus is expected to begin in March of 2001 . It will provide limited service <br /> during peak hours . <br /> Finally, the Department on Aging , through its Orange Public Transportation ( OPT) service , <br /> operates the only current, countywide transit system . This is not however, a conventional public <br /> transit system . It is designed as a human services project, not a transportation project . It only <br /> serves local transportation needs on a subscription service if it can accommodate those needs . <br /> OPT receives its federal funding through a different mechanism . If <br /> As a human services project , <br /> the County chooses to expand OPTs services , the funds would have to come from another <br /> source . In conjunction with OPT , we are getting ready to choose a consultant to update the <br /> community transportation services plan . <br /> Regarding ideas such as mass transit , car-pooling, bicycles , etc . , the County remains in favor of <br /> furthering these types of initiatives and generally maintains a progressive outlook on the future <br /> of alternative transportation options for the County. However, no official document or statement <br /> exists which details the County' s stance . <br /> In preparing transportation planning documents , lots of data is always needed . Quite a bit of data <br /> is available from a number of sources , although questions have been raised about the quality of <br /> some data . Much of the data for these documents comes from outside sources (NCDOT for <br /> example) , but the County Planning staff regularly provides information for census updates <br /> including workplace data updates regarding physical locations of employment centers , and <br /> information on employee commute patterns and through "windshield surveys " ( actual field <br /> observations of land uses ) . Perhaps the best source of existing data on Orange County <br /> demographics and trends is the Orange County Profile , created for the Shaping Orange County ' s <br /> Future Task Force . The Office of State Planning is another good source of demographic <br />