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14 <br /> NONE <br /> 7. Reports <br /> a. Orange County Public Transportation Short Range Transit Plan <br /> The Board received a report on the Orange County Public Transportation Short Range <br /> Transit Plan (draft) and recommendations for the final Report, in preparation for further <br /> discussion and feedback at the Board's January 25, 2019 Retreat. <br /> Theo Letman, Transit Director, reviewed the following information: <br /> BACKGROUND: <br /> Orange County Public Transportation (OCPT) currently operates three fixed routes: <br /> Hillsborough Circulator, Orange— Chapel Hill Mid-Day Connector, and Orange —Alamance Mid- <br /> Day Connector. These OCPT fixed routes are financed through the Article 43 Tax District funds. <br /> Article 43 Tax District funds provide an opportunity for Orange County residents, customers and <br /> community partners to access an additional source of revenue with which to meet the needs for <br /> financing public transportation systems. Recommendations are provided to maintain and <br /> expand upon current service levels, based upon qualitative analysis and public outreach, <br /> conducted over the course of a year, utilizing surveys, public meetings, information sessions <br /> and websites. <br /> Due to the amount of new information contained in the report, staff will present the findings and <br /> recommendations in anticipation of a policy discussion at the Board's annual retreat. <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 <br /> service improvements with a limited budget are keys to addressing the needs of the community. <br /> To ensure integrated, high performing transit service across the region, OPT's Short Range <br /> Transit Plan (SRTP) assesses the market for transit service, operations in Orange County, and <br /> prioritizes 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 <br /> Orange-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 />