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Changes may be coming to Caroline County FREDericksburg Regional Transit service Date published: 12/11/2009
By KELLY HANNON FREDericksburg Regional Transit has proposed making changes to bus routes in Caroline County. If finalized, changes to Caroline routes C1 and C2 would go into effect on Monday, Jan. 18. Passengers in Caroline would have the same number of bus service hours. However, service would be increased in Bowling Green on the C1 route, and Port Royal would get a second day of service on the C2 route. Also, since Caroline residents show increasing interest in attending medical appointments in the Lee's Hill area of Spotsylvania, and shopping in the Southpoint and Cosner's Corner area, FRED would move the transfer point for all of Caroline's FRED routes farther south on U.S. 1, said Arnold Levine, manager of policy, planning and compliance at FREDericksburg Regional Transit. Today, buses coming into Fredericksburg from Caroline stop at FRED Central at 1400 Jefferson Davis Highway. There, passengers transfer to other bus lines. Under the proposal, starting in mid-January buses coming from Caroline would stop at Lee's Hill in Spotsylvania County. The Lee's Hill stop is a major transfer point for buses in Spotsylvania. Passengers bound for Fredericksburg destinations could catch a bus at Lee's Hill that would carry them to FRED Central, where they could transfer to multiple other destinations. Proposed changes to the Caroline routes were made in consultation with Caroline officials, Levine said. The Caroline Board of Supervisors approved the changes in October. FRED is seeking public comment through Dec. 31. "If there is some way to tweak the service we're recommending to make it a little better, we'd be happy to hear it," Levine said. The changes come as FRED experiences growing ridership on Caroline's routes. Caroline residents are a small percentage of FRED's total ridership. From January to November, FRED carried 506,152 passengers on the entire 31-route system. Caroline's routes contributed just 7,888 passengers of that total, less than 2 percent of all riders. However, ridership on Caroline's routes increased 16 percent in 2009. Systemwide, demand for FRED service remains strong. Overall ridership is up 8 percent in 2009, despite a midyear fare increase that raised the price per boarding from 25 cents to 50 cents. Under the proposed changes, Port Royal residents would see FRED service expand to two days a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, on Route C2. The move could encourage more Port Royal residents to try FRED, Levine said. Currently, the Port Royal route attracts few riders because it requires riders to study the schedule carefully, Levine said. Also, Route C1 would add several loops through downtown Bowling Green, stopping at the Post Office, Food Lion, Rite-Aid, Caroline County Administrative Offices, and Town Hall. All of the proposed changes are posted on ridefred.com under "News." Comments may be sent through Dec. 31 Comments can be mailed to Levine at FREDericksburg Regional Transit, 1400 Jefferson Davis Highway, Fredericksburg, or e-mailed to Levine at Kelly Hannon: 540/374-5436
Read more stories about Caroline Date published: 12/11/2009
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