AppalCART (Appalachian Campus Area Rapid Transit) is a free public bus network located in Boone, North Carolina. It provides fare-free fixed route and paratransit service throughout Appalachian State University and Boone, as well as low-fare van service to other towns within Watauga County.[1] In 2013, AppalCART reported a ridership of 1,712,873 passenger trips.[2] In 2019, it reported 1,938,321 trips.[3]
 | |
 AppalCART buses in Boone, NC. | |
| Founded | October 1981 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 305 Highway 105 Bypass Boone, NC 28607 |
| Locale | North Carolina |
| Service area | Boone and Appalachian State University with service to rural locations throughout Watauga County |
| Service type | Local and Student Commuter |
| Routes | 24 |
| Stops | 120 |
| Hubs |
|
| Fleet | 43 |
| Daily ridership | 1,938,321 annually (2019) |
| Fuel type | Diesel, gasoline & electric |
| Operator | Watauga County |
| Website | appalcart.com |
AppalCART is governed by an 8-member board.[4] The current chairman of the board is Quint David.[5] It receives its funding from a mix of federal, state, local, and Appalachian State University funds.[6]
Routes
editRegular routes
edit| Route name and official color shade | Annual ridership (2019) | Year-round? | Start | High-traffic destinations | High-traffic corridors served | Opposite end[A] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 159,208 | ASU Peacock Traffic Circle |
|
|
South Lot / Baseball Stadium | |
| Express | 114,688 | ASU Peacock Traffic Circle |
|
ASU College of Health Sciences | ||
| Gold | 16,099 | ASU College Street Station |
|
South Lot / Baseball Stadium | ||
| Gray (formerly State Farm Lot Shuttle) | 45,813 | ASU Child Development Center |
|
ASU State Farm Lot | ||
| Green | 294,372 | Hospitality House |
|
Cottages of Boone | ||
| NC 105 Lot Shuttle | 20,023 | ASU NC 105 Lot |
|
ASU Mountaineer Hall | ||
| Orange (Currently suspended due to staffing shortages)[8] | 180,396 | ASU College Street Station |
|
Brookshire Park Road | ||
| Pink | 62,773 | ASU Peacock Traffic Circle |
|
ASU College of Health Sciences | ||
| Pop 105 | 273,054 | AppalCART Headquarters |
|
AppalCART Headquarters | ||
| Purple | 250,639 | ASU Peacock Traffic Circle |
|
|||
| Red | 366,604 | AppalCART Headquarters |
|
ASU College of Health Sciences | ||
| Silver | 58,385 | Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute |
|
Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute | ||
| State Farm Lot Shuttle | No data (Established 2023) | ASU Trivette Hall |
|
ASU State Farm Lot | ||
| Wellness District | 41,535 | ASU College of Health Sciences |
|
|
ASU College of Health Sciences | |
| Total annual ridership (including Night Owl routes and irregular routes such as Game Day routes) (2019): | 1,938,321 | - | - | - | - | - |
Night Owl routes
edit| Route name and official color shade | Annual ridership (2019)[D] | Year-round? | Start | High-traffic destinations | High-traffic corridors served | Opposite end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Express | 3,163 | ASU Peacock Traffic Circle |
|
The Village at Meadowview | ||
| Gold | 2,548 | ASU College Street Station |
|
South Lot / Baseball Stadium | ||
| Pop 105 | 3,517 | AppalCART Headquarters |
|
AppalCART Headquarters | ||
| Total annual ridership (2019) | 9,137 | - | - | - | - | - |
Game Day routes
editIn addition to the above routes, AppalCART operates seven game day routes: Gray, Express, Purple, Orange, Blue, Gold, and the Disability Shuttle, totaling 24 routes on the system. There are three stops only served by these routes: Poplar Grove Connector Parking Lot, ASU Hill Street Lot, and ASU Stadium East Gate, totaling 120 stops on the entire system.[9]
Former routes
edit| Route name and official color shade | Fate | Active from | Year-round? | Start | High-traffic destinations | High-traffic corridors served | Opposite end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blowing Rock | Low ridership | May 2018–Aug 2021 | (Weekends May-Aug only) | Tanger Outlets |
|
|
Green Park Inn |
| Gray (1st version)[E] | Staffing shortages[12] | Aug 2021–Sep 2021 | Caldwell Community College
& Technical Institute |
|
Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute | ||
| Green East | Merged with Teal to become Green Route[13] | ?–Aug 2018 | ASU College Street Station |
|
Hospitality House | ||
| Green West | Merged with Red[13] | ?–Aug 2018 | ASU College Street Station |
|
Old Bristol Road / US 421 near NC 105 Bypass | ||
| Orange Night Owl | Staffing shortages, COVID-19 pandemic[14] | Aug 2019–Nov 2019 | ASU College Street Station |
|
Brookshire Park Road | ||
| Teal | Merged with Green East to become Green Route[13] | Aug 2013–Aug 2018 | ASU Peacock Traffic Circle |
|
Cottages of Boone | ||
| Night Owl | Unknown | ?–Mid-2001 | No data archived | No data archived | No data archived | No data archived | No data archived |
References
edit- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-09. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "AppalCART Reports Record Ridership Once Again of 1,712,873 Passenger Trips; Six Percent Increase Over 2012 | High Country Press". www.hcpress.com. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
- ^ a b c "Statistics". AppalCART. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ "Our Board". AppalCart - Boone, NC Public Transportation. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
- ^ "Board | Appalcart". Archived from the original on 2014-01-09. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
- ^ "Alternative Transportation: Mass Transit | Sustain Appalachian". Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
- ^ a b "Route Maps and Schedules". AppalCART. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ Patterson, Siri; Edwards, Madalyn (2023-08-26). "AppalCart introduces new mobile app, changes to routes". The Appalachian. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ "Game Day Routes". AppalCART. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ web.archive.org https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.appalcart.com*. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ https://www.raphaelwenger.com/appalcart/schedules&routes.pdf
- ^ Markland, Jake; Broyles, Emily (2021-08-30). "Driver shortage causes shift in AppalCart routes". The Appalachian. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ a b c Reece, Kenneth (2018-06-21). "AppalCART Proposed Fixed Route Changes For August 13, 2018". WataugaOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ Broyles, Emily; Holiday, Gianna (2020-11-08). "AppalCart seeks public input on Night Owl services after decrease in activity". The Appalachian. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ Not all AppalCART routes are perfectly linear; some loop back on themselves and/or have branches.
- ^ NC 105 Lot Shuttle drives on routes such as US 221, but it does not make stops associated with all of the roads it uses.
- ^ State Farm Lot Shuttle drives on routes such as US 221, but it does not make stops associated with all of the roads it uses.
- ^ In 2019, Night Owl routes only ran August through November. From 2021 onwards, they run August through May. As such, these figures are inaccurate for the present day and are likely much higher, however, no data is available.
- ^ A duplicate of the Silver Route, but serving the NC 105 lot. The Silver Route did not serve the NC 105 lot at this time.
External links
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