Orange County restores some rides for residents after sending 18 vehicles for repairs
Update: OE Enterprise and Mobility on Demand services were restored as of April 4, 2023, and Orange County Public Transportation was working to restore general shopping trips. Senior lunch rides were expected to be back online by the week’s end.
Orange County is temporarily suspending many of its transportation services, including its lunch transit program for older residents, after taking 18 vehicles off the road for repairs. That number represents over 81% of the county’s transit fleet, officials said.
Most of the Orange County Public Transportation vehicles could be back online within a few days. The county will replace some of the older vehicles when new ones are delivered this summer, county spokesman Todd McGee said.
“I think the goal is to get them all back up and running as soon as possible,” he said.
A few dozens residents could be affected by the change each day, according to OCPT Director Nish Trivedi.
Trivedi said an N.C. Department of Transportation compliance review last year found that 10 of the county’s 22 vehicles were unsafe for use on the road. Since that time, the county has initiated repairs on eight of the 12 vehicles that remain in service, including five minivans that were subject to a recall for faulty rear passenger doors, he said.
The repairs also are being affected by pandemic-related supply chain issues, including replacement parts that remain on back order, and significant delays and recalls in new vehicle orders, he said.
In a news release, McGee said the changes will let drivers continue providing fixed-route bus service and transportation to medical and dialysis center appointments.
The county’s fixed-route services are open to the public Monday through Friday on the Hillsborough Circulator, Orange-Alamance Connector and Orange-Chapel Hill Connector.
The services being suspended are the:
▪ Lunch transportation program, which picks up adults ages 60 and older and takes them to the Seymour and Passmore centers for lunch weekdays
▪ General shopping trips
▪ Orange Enterprise Group
▪ Mobility-on-Demand, which offers pickup service for residents in the Hillsborough area, including the Eubanks Road park-and-ride lot in Chapel Hill, where they can catch Chapel Hill Transit buses
“Your understanding in this matter is greatly appreciated and we apologize for the inconvenience to the Orange County community, especially its seniors,” McGee said.
The news echoed issues identified in Chapel Hill earlier this year when the Town Council heard about $60 million in critical needs, including repairs that have removed dozens of garbage trucks, police cars and firetrucks from service recently.
Residents can call Orange County Transportation Services for more information about the changes at 919-245-2008.
The story will be updated.
This story was originally published March 31, 2023 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Orange County restores some rides for residents after sending 18 vehicles for repairs."
