Ryan Brumfield, director of the North Carolina's Department of Transportation integrated mobility division, said Wilson's transition to microtransit came largely by necessity. The point of transit is getting people where they need to be.” The point of transit is not to have a bus. “We want people to benefit wherever they live, including in less-dense, rural areas. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told The Associated Press. “We don't view transit as something only for big cities,” U.S. These smaller-scale, tech-based solutions to public transportation problems, known broadly as microtransit, have emerged as a great equalizer in the battle for infrastructure dollars that has traditionally pit the bus, train and subway needs of urban areas against the road construction projects sought by rural communities. Other communities in North Carolina and elsewhere took notice and have tapped into available public funding to start programs of their own, heightening Wilson's competition for continuing grant money. Trips are now $2.50, a dollar more than they were at launch, and Bunn quips, “you can't drive a Pinto for that.” Wilson landed federal and state infrastructure grants to support the shared, public rides residents summon - usually within 15 minutes - through a service operating like Uber and Lyft, but at a fraction of the cost to riders. The city of less than 50,000 people is frequently cited as a model for how less-populated areas can capitalize on transit in the same way as bustling metropolises. It's a great asset to Wilson and a great service to me.” “They cometo pick me up, they're respectful, and they're very professional. “I don't have to walk everywhere I want to go now,” said Bunn, 64. Then he spotted one of the public vans and dialed the phone number posted in a rear window.

Instead, Bunn, who has two broken discs in his back, would take a 5-mile (8-kilometer) roundtrip walk to pick up groceries. Long wait times made the bus route almost unusable for David Bunn, even when his car broke down and he couldn't afford to replace it.

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