If you’re planning to visit Cary, N.C., any time soon, don’t worry about finding public transportation. C-Tran has you covered.

No, not that C-Tran. This C-Tran is also known as Cary Transit. Turns out, there are at least three other systems in the U.S. that have shared their names with Clark County’s transit agency. That got us wondering: How do they stack up with our C-Tran?

The C-Tran that served Clayton County in Georgia was killed three years ago, so we’ll leave it out of the discussion. And the C TRAN in New York’s Chemung County has no hyphen, so it doesn’t count, either.

That leaves us with two C-Trans: Cary vs. Clark County. Let’s do a side-by-side comparison.

Logo

Cary:
C-Tran NC

Clark County:
C-Tran logo

Edge: Clark County.

Mission statement

Cary: “To provide clean, safe, reliable and efficient transit service to the community by being responsive to changing needs and focusing on customer service as our highest priority.”

Clark County: “Provide safe, reliable, efficient mobility choices.”

Edge: Cary. What, no clean buses, Clark County?

Governance

Cary: Run by the Town of Cary

Clark County: Independent agency, run by C-Tran Board of Directors

Edge: Clark County. Our C-Tran sets its own course.

Single-ride fare

Cary: $1

Clark County: $1.70

Edge: Cary. Plus, seniors and children 12 and under ride free there.

Fixed bus routes

Cary: 6

Clark County: 28

Edge: Clark County. Longer hours, and more than two dozen routes get you anywhere from Yacolt to downtown Portland.

Regional connection

Cary: Triangle Transit

Clark County: TriMet

Edge: Cary. Triangle also connects with several other transit agencies in the Raleigh area.

Light rail?

Cary: No

Clark County: It’s complicated

Edge: Ask me again in 10 years.

Eric Florip

Eric Florip

I'm the environment/transportation reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. Contact me at eric.florip@columbian.com or 360-735-4541.

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