Want to see red wolves? GoDurham now offers free rides to Museum of Life & Science

Nearly a year after GoDurham launched a door-to-door rideshare service, residents can now catch a free ride to the Museum of Life and Science.

The ride is part of GoDurham Connect’s microtransit rideshare program, launched in 2024, to provide on-demand transportation to locations in East and North Durham such as Southern High School or West Point on the Eno.

In May, the city’s Transportation Department expanded the program to add four locations: the Museum of Life and Science, Edison Johnson Recreation Center, Rock Quarry Park and Duke Regional Hospital, according to Lindsay Smart, the department’s mobility services planner. The microtransit rides offer free, door-to-door service in smaller vehicles, like shuttles or vans.

The Durham community wants to reduce violence, and giving kids access to more things to do is one possible solution, said Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, who also serves on the museum’s board of directors.

“For teenagers whose parents are at work, and they have no car or license, they’re stuck at home,” Allam said. “They need to know about transit options so they can hang out with friends and learn things.”

Every month, the museum hosts Durham Community Day, giving free access to the facility and exhibits for anyone in Durham County, plus up to five children. The museum has dozens of exhibits and over 60 animals including black bears, lemurs, red wolves and tortoises.

Many people miss out because they don’t have a way to get there, Allam said.

The microtransit stop for the museum is in the North Durham microtransit zone. Before, if you wanted to get to the museum on West Murray Avenue from the bus stop on North Roxboro Street, you’d have to walk about 10 minutes.

“Giving them ways to engage and have fun so that they don’t seek out other activities they shouldn’t, is a good way to reduce gun violence,” Allam said.

How to catch a ride

To get to the museum, riders who live in the city can request a GoDurham Connect ride from anywhere in the North Durham microtransit zone.

If riders live outside the North Durham zone, they can take the GoDurham bus Route 4 to enter the zone. Once there, riders can request the microtransit from anywhere to get to the museum. The microtransit service is a curb-to-curb service, much like an Uber or Lyft, and riders don’t need to be at a bus stop or another gathering spot for pickup.

The microtransit service operates from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Trips can be booked up to three days in advance. Riders with small children must bring an appropriate car seat or booster seat for them.

The North Durham Zone covers areas such as West Point on the Eno, North Roxboro and Hebron Roads, local parks, and Riverside and Northern high schools.

The East Durham Zone covers areas such as The Wellons Village transit hub, locations along U.S. 70, and multiple parks and schools, including Southern High School.

For more information about GoDurham Connect microtransit program go to godurhamtransit.com.

Kristen Johnson

The News & Observer

919-829-4532

Kristen Johnson is a local government reporter covering Durham for The News & Observer. She previously covered Cary and western Wake County. Prior to coming home to the Triangle, she reported for The Fayetteville Observer and spent time covering politics and culture in Washington, D.C. She is an alumna of UNC at Charlotte and American University.