GoCary suspends Downtown Loop bus service. Here’s what riders should know.
GoCary suspended its Downtown Loop service Thursday due to a shortage of bus drivers. But transit officials say the change will have little impact on riders.
The Downtown Loop service began in June 2024 and operated Thursday through Sunday between the Town Hall parking deck and destinations throughout downtown Cary.
But the service had “never really taken off,” Transit Director Kelly Blazey said.
The route averaged between 10 and 15 riders a day, making it the least disruptive service to suspend as GoCary works to preserve service on busier routes.
“When we have to make changes, we’re wanting as little impact as possible,” Blazey said. “A route that has low ridership and is also served by other routes just made sense to be the one that we needed to make the change to.”
GoCary trains its operators to drive every route so they can fill in wherever they’re needed. Drivers on the loop route worked overtime, and supervisors and managers had to fill in behind the wheel to keep the service running. Blazey said a manager had been driving the Downtown Loop for several weeks before the suspension.
Nearly all the Downtown Loop’s stops will continue to be served by other GoCary routes. Only three stops — one at the Town Hall parking deck and two along Walker Street — are not directly served by another route, but Blazey said each is near another bus stop.
Routes 1 and 5, along with parts of Route 6, continue serving many of the same downtown destinations. Riders can also park at the Cary Depot, where all GoCary routes connect.
The Downtown Loop was created to address concerns about parking in downtown Cary, but Blazey said those concerns have since eased as the town has opened new parking decks and free parking downtown. GoCary also expanded service last November, adding Route 2, which provides a direct connection to Raleigh, and Route 9, which connects Cary and Apex.
But expanding service has also increased the agency’s need for drivers. Hiring qualified commercial driver’s license holders has become more difficult as transit agencies compete with school districts and delivery companies for workers, Blazey said.
This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 4:44 PM.