Next stop: Davidson County gets new bus stop as part of mid-state express service

Davidson County is getting its first intercity bus service that will connect the county to several other cities across the state on a daily basis.

Sunway Charters, based in Winston-Salem, has started a mid-state express service from Winston-Salem to Fayetteville with stops in Lexington, High Point, Asheboro, Siler City and Sanford.

The service was launched in July by Sunway Charters in Winston-Salem with a partial grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Pat Ivey, division engineer at the North Carolina Department of Transportation, this is the first intercity bus route in Davidson County subsidized by the state.

“This is a pretty big deal," said Ivey. “The area around Asheboro and central North Carolina didn’t have access to intercity bus service. It also enables citizens to make connections with other services, such as Amtrak or PART. This is just another opportunity for access to transportation and to fill in a gap in services.”

The bus stop in Lexington will be at the Davidson County Transportation, which shares a building with the Davidson County Board of Elections, on North Main Street.

There will be two buses, one starting from Winston-Salem and one starting from Fayetteville beginning at 9 a.m. making stops at each of the cities in route, and then return following the same route beginning at 2 p.m.

The bus going eastbound from Winston-Salem arrives in Lexington at approximately 9:30 a.m. and arrives in Fayetteville at 1 p.m. after making stops in High Point, Asheboro, Siler City and Sanford. The westbound bus from Fayetteville arrives in Lexington at approximately 12:30 and arrives in Winston-Salem at 1 p.m.

Sunway Charters also operates the Mountaineer East/West intercity bus service from Winston-Salem, serving Boone, Wilkesboro, Hamptonville and Greensboro, and the Mountaineer North/South route, serving Charlotte, Gastonia, Lincolnton, Hickory, Lenior and Boone.

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Art Montiel, CFO of Sunway Charters, said the idea for creating a new mid-state bus route between Winston-Salem and Fayetteville was because there was a gap in transportation services in the area.

“There was a void in the center of the state, and we thought this (new route) could work,” said Montiel. “We can hit some of those other cities that don’t have bus transportation available.”

The mid-state bus starts from the Winston-Salem Transit Authority. After stopping in Lexington, the bus has stops at the High Point Transport Terminal, the South Asheboro Park and Ride, the Speedway in Siler City, Sam’s Place in Sanford and the Fayetteville Area System of Transit.

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Another benefit of the new service is residents can reach an even wider selection of destinations by connecting to other public transportation hubs, including Winston Salem and High Point, that offer services, such as Greyhound, Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) and Amtrak.

Davidson County Transportation System currently has four local bus routes serving Lexington, Thomasville, and Davidson-Davie Community College.

Richard Jones, director of transportation for Davidson County, said the DC Connects stop in Thomasville allows riders access to the statewide PART buses, but the advantage of the new mid-state line is that it offers a quicker and more direct route to these cities. Whereas riders must change buses more often with more frequent stops when using the PART connector hubs.

“It is a good thing for the residents of Davidson County. It is just another opportunity for those in the area without transportation,” said Jones.

According to Sunway Charter, the Mid-State Express service operates seven days a week, 365 days a year.

“We want to make is so that someone can jump on the bus and get anywhere in the state. Or buy connecting with these other major hubs, you can purchase a ticket that can take you anywhere in the United States,” said Montiel.

More information about schedules and fares can be found at sunwaycharters.com/bus-tickets. 

General news reporter Sharon Myers can be reached at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com. Follow her on Twitter @LexDispatchSM.

This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: Davidson County's new bus stop part of NC's mid-state express service