Raleigh, Atlanta added to expanded bus routes, new 'Pine Line' service in Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina is working to close the transportation gap across the state by launching expanded bus routes to improve mobility in both urban and rural areas.

Earlier this month, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) added new intercity bus routes departing from Fayetteville, including a new service dubbed "Pine Line" that now connects Fayetteville to Atlanta, Georgia.

The Pine Line offers daily connections not only to Atlanta but also to Raleigh, Lumberton, and even South Carolina.

Service has also expanded with new routes from Winston-Salem to Fayetteville, stopping in High Point and Sanford.

Daily trips between Fayetteville and Raleigh have also doubled, providing riders with more scheduling flexibility.

Greyhound passenger Jamary Yates was among the first to take advantage of the new service, catching an early morning bus at 2 a.m. to visit his mother in Birmingham. "I like how smooth the bus ride was and how they would just sleep the whole ride," Yates said. "I live here in Fayetteville. My mom lives in Birmingham. So I came first down to Birmingham to go visit my mom."

Yates, a student at Fayetteville Technical Community College, said he's excited about the new bus routes. "I'm all for people being here," he added.

This renewed connectivity is especially significant after an intercity bus company ceased operations last year, reducing options to Raleigh and leaving many Fayetteville residents with limited travel choices. Now, expanded routes are helping restore and improve those connections.

"We definitely see with our services stopping in certain communities, there is that connectivity piece that allows people to move in and out of those communities, which does help with economic measures," said Hart Evans, Programming Manager for NCDOT's Integrated Mobility Division.

Evans noted that the new schedules were designed with flexibility in mind. "We tried to stagger the times too, so that, you know, every three or 4 hours there's that connection between the two cities. You know, Fayetteville is close to Raleigh. But also, you know, there's military operations and stuff there. Want to make sure that we can connect people to the capital city," he said.

For longtime Fayetteville residents like Angela Sadler, the changes mark a new chapter for the community. "We're expanding a lot. A lot of things are changing. They are rebuilding, tearing down things and making. It's almost like a tourist place to me now," said Sadler, who has called Fayetteville home for more than 70 years. "It's great for them to do that because a lot of people do go to those towns a lot."

NCDOT officials say these expanded routes are essential to improving mobility across North Carolina.

For passengers like Yates, the improvements mean more opportunities to travel and reconnect with family.