About
Winston-Salem Transit Authority Route Study
The City of Winston-Salem is completing a Route Study for the Winston-Salem Transit Authority (WSTA). The study will help create a more connected community for all residents and visitors.
Together, we can reimagine and improve our bus system. We can shape what transit should be in the City of Winston-Salem.
Your input is important to us. The City will be collecting feedback and information by:
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Evaluating data from current route performance, procedures, and operations
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Collecting information from bus operators and staff
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Engaging community groups, stakeholders, and agencies
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Gathering feedback from bus riders and the public
With this information, the City will identify current challenges and opportunities to improve the bus system.
The goal of the study is to build excitement about transit by supporting regional business, educational, and community development. By moving more people on WSTA, the City can have economic growth, cleaner air, and money saved for families.
The study will look at the entire WSTA System. You can view a map of the WSTA System area and routes below.
2023 Route Study Implementations
Later this year, WSTA will be implementing some bus route and service changes identified by the route study.
WSTA will hold a public meeting about these changes on April 25, 2023. The meeting will be held virtually and in person at the Central Library. Register and learn more on our Get Involved page.
So, what will this look like for riders?
Improved Routes
Routes 83, 93, and 103 will now pick up passengers twice per hour instead of once per hour. These busy routes will now offer twice the service to riders! There are two options for adding additional service to these routes.
Routes 99, 100, 108, and 110 will be eliminated. These routes have very low ridership. Many areas along these routes are well covered by other routes, shown in the maps below. In order to best serve our customers, hours from these four eliminated routes will be used to add the 30-minute service to Routes 83, 93, and 103.
Route 95 is changing. Knollwood St will be removed from the route to speed up travel times between Downtown and West Winston-Salem. The new routing will shorten trips by traveling directly from 1st Street onto Country Club Road through the intersection with Miller Street.
Do you currently use a route that may be eliminated or changed? Check out the Route Service Maps below to learn how you can still get to where you need to go.
Addition of the New Day Pass
WSTA will launch an unlimited-ride DAY PASS on all of its buses. The DAY PASS will be priced at $2.00, which is twice the base fare of $1.00. With this new day pass, transfers will be eliminated from the WSTA system.
What are the benefits of a day pass?
One pass for the whole day!
When you buy your Day Pass on the way to work or an appointment in the morning, your trip home is already paid for – just use the Day Pass again! If you need to stop for groceries or at your child’s school on the way home, you will not need to pay the third time you board the bus – the Day Pass provides unlimited rides for 24 hours!More Affordable
Day passes make it more affordable to take many trips in a day. At only $2.00, you can ride all day for the cost of only two fares.Faster Boarding
Day passes allow riders to board more quickly than paying with cash, which will help to speed up travel times.Equity in Transit
At many transit agencies, discounts are given to those who buy a monthly pass or multiple tickets at once. But many lower income residents cannot afford to buy a monthly pass to receive the discount. Most people can afford a Day Pass, and this helps provide discounted trips to everyone across the socio-economic spectrum.
A New Ticket Machine at the Clark Transportation Center
Convenient payment choices contribute to a positive customer experience in transit. WSTA will acquire a new ticket vending machine for the Clark Transportation Center. This machine will accept cash and credit card payments, allowing passengers to quickly purchase a ticket without needing to wait in line to speak to a cashier.
Route Service Maps
“I am a rider on one of the routes proposed for elimination. How will I get to my destination?”
For those routes proposed for elimination (Routes 99, 100, 108, and 110), we have put together maps to show what other routes provide service to the same areas. Even without these four routes, our riders will still be able to get to most of their destinations using our system. You can see the alternative options in the maps below!
FAQs
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The routes being eliminated have very low ridership, carrying fewer than 3 riders per hour on average. They were identified in a survey of WSTA drivers as well as in our study of WSTA’s system as some of the routes with the fewest riders. These routes will be eliminated in August 2023. In order to best serve the public, the hours from these eliminated routes will be added to routes that have more riders, are sometimes crowded, and need more service.
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These routes all carry more riders than average for the WSTA system, and they are good candidates for adding more buses per hour without adjusting their routing. Each of these routes carry more than 18 riders per hour on average.
There are three options for adding additional service to these routes.
• Option 1 adds 30-minute frequency to Weekday daytime service (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
• Option 2 adds 30-minute frequency to Weekday peak service and high-demand times on Saturdays (Weekday peak is defined as 6 – 9 a.m., 3 – 7 p.m.)
• Option 3 adds 30-minute frequency to Weekday peak service, high-demand times on Saturdays and also extends 30-minute Weekday frequency on 103 until 9:00 PM after Hanes Mall closes.
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Riders who use Route 99 can access the following WSTA Routes along the following streets:
• University Parkway – can use Routes 89, 91, and 97
• Shattalon Drive – can use Route 97
• Reynolda Road – can use Routes 88 and 109
• Silas Creek Parkway near Hanes Mall – can use Route 84
• Forsyth Tech Campus – can use Routes 82 and 85
Service along Silas Creek Parkway from Reynolda Road to Hanes Mall will not be replaced with another route. Other options for public transportation include PART vanpools (call (336) 883-7278 or visit https://www.partnc.org/157/Vanpool) and carpooling (find carpool partners at https://www.sharetheridenc.org).
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Riders who use Route 100 can access the following WSTA Routes along the following streets:
• South Stratford Road – can use Route 103
• Silas Creek Parkway – can use Routes 84 and 85
• Main Street from Waughtown to E Cemetery Street – can use Route 104
• Forsyth Tech Community College - can use Routes 82 and 85
Service along the following streets will require riders to walk to routes on other streets for service
• Miller Street - walk to Routes 80, 84, 95, 103, 107
• Main Street from Waughtown to Sprague Street - walk to Routes 101 and 104
• E Cemetery Street, E Salem Avenue, and Rams Drive - walk to Routes 86, 102, 105
Other options for public transportation include PART vanpools (call (336) 883-7278 or visit https://www.partnc.org/157/Vanpool) and carpooling (find carpool partners at https://www.sharetheridenc.org).
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Riders who use Route 108 can access the following WSTA Routes along the following streets:
• Old Lexington Road & Marta Road – can use Route 104
• Thomasville Road from E Sprague Street to Louise Road – can use Route 86
• Waughtown Street from South Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive to High Point Road– can use Route 101
Service along the following streets will no longer be provided:
• Teague Road from Marta Road to Thomasville Road
• Thomasville Road from Union Cross Road to Louise Road
• Union Cross Road
• Willard Road
• E Sprague Street
• Cole Road
• Broadbay Drive
• High Point Road from Queen Road to Plaza Hollow Drive
• Plaza Hollow Drive
• Hines Drive
Plaza Hollow Apartments will no longer be served by WSTA. Other options for public transportation include PART vanpools (call (336) 883-7278 or visit https://www.partnc.org/157/Vanpool) and carpooling (find carpool partners at https://www.sharetheridenc.org).
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Riders who use Route 110 can access the following WSTA Routes along the following streets:
• 5th Street from downtown to East 4th Street - can use Routes 86, 94, 96, 105
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive – can use Routes 86 and 105
Service along the following streets will no longer be provided:
• 5th Street from Maryland Avenue to Lowery Court
• Lowery Court
• Lowery Street
The Lowery Street facility will no longer be served by WSTA. Other options for public transportation include PART vanpools (call (336) 883-7278 or visit https://www.partnc.org/157/Vanpool) and carpooling (find carpool partners at https://www.sharetheridenc.org).
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Route 95 is being removed from Knollwood Street to speed up travel times between downtown and West Winston-Salem. Bus operators report that few passengers board Route 95 in the stretch along Knollwood Street from Country Club Road to South Stratford Road. The new routing will shorten trips by traveling directly from 1st Street onto Country Club Rd through the intersection with Miller Street, saving time for riders. South Stratford Road will continue to be served by Route 103. You can see the new route in the map below.
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Transfers help passengers continue their trip without paying more when the transit system requires a passenger to transfer between two buses to reach their destination. Every time a bus passenger needs a transfer, a bus operator must issue it from the farebox. This takes up extra time during the boarding process and makes travel times longer for all passengers.
Transfers also are usually only valid for a certain period of time after they are issued. If a passenger has a transfer and their connecting bus is late, the transfer ticket may expire by the time the second bus arrives. The Day Pass solves this issue because it is valid for unlimited trips across one 24-hour period.
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You can purchase a day pass on all buses or at the new ticket machine at the Clark Transportation Center.
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Cash and credit card payments will both be accepted. Through our ICAM grant, we intend to offer mobile ticketing by 2024.