Proposed commuter bus service to be bolstered by $3M grant
A $3 million grant has been awarded to help get a proposed commuter bus service between Rocky Mount and Raleigh started to make getting to work and returning home an easier experience, to attract more employee talent to the region and to reduce emissions from vehicles.
Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson’s office made the announcement in a news release on Tuesday. In a phone interview the next day, Roberson said that he was ecstatic about the grant.
“We’ve been working on this thing a long time,” Roberson said.
Roberson also made clear over the phone that in the Rocky Mount area, “We’ve got to figure out how to be competitive to create the jobs — and then it’s incumbent on us as a city to create that live-work-play environment people want to move to.”
Over time, leaders envision a broader eastern North Carolina commuter network linking cities such as Wilson, Greenville, Roanoke Rapids and Elizabeth City to Rocky Mount — and ultimately to the Triangle area, the city press release noted.
“And the hope is that we make Rocky Mount the hub,” Roberson said.
RockyMount Telegram