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2 <br /> EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br /> Orange County Public Transportation(OPT)provides transit service throughout Orange County, <br /> including both demand response and fixed-route service.Identifying performance of the existing <br /> system,areas of unmet transit demand,assessing priorities of passengers,and prioritizing service <br /> improvements with a limited budget are keys to addressing the needs of the community.To <br /> ensure integrated,high performing transit service across the region,OPT's Short Range Transit <br /> Plan(SRTP)assesses the market for transit service,operations in Orange County,and prioritizes <br /> future recommendations. <br /> Existing Conditions <br /> OPT currently operates three midday/off peak,weekday,fixed-route bus services in Orange <br /> County—the Hillsborough Circulator,the Orange-Chapel Hill Midday Connector,and the Orange- <br /> Alamance Connector,as shown in Figure ES-1. <br /> As part of the SRTP,an analysis was conducted to provide an overview of the operating context <br /> for OPT,demographic and socioeconomic characteristics,and general system performance. <br /> Findings included the following: <br /> ■ There is opportunity to improve ridership on existing services.The Hillsborough <br /> Circulator and the Orange-Chapel Hill Midday Connector serve approximately 64 and 15 <br /> average daily riders,respectively. <br /> ■ Population density in Orange County outside of Chapel Hill and Carrboro is relatively <br /> low.The majority of the county does not have the population or employment density to <br /> support fixed-route transit. <br /> ■ The most common commute destinations for north Orange County residents are to <br /> Hillsborough,Durham,and Chapel Hill. <br /> Public Outreach <br /> Two phases of outreach were conducted as part of the SRTP—the first phase took place in <br /> November 2017 to understand the needs of existing riders and non-riders,and the second phase <br /> occurred in September 2018 to confirm future service priorities.Top priorities from each of the <br /> outreach phases included the following: <br /> ■ Improving weekday and Saturday service frequency and providing later evening service <br /> ■ Improving local circulation in Hillsborough and providing connections to Chapel Hill <br />