AppalCart explained

AppalCART
Company Slogan:	Providing public transportation since 1981
Founded:	October 1981
Headquarters:	305 Highway 105 Bypass Boone, NC 28607
Locale:	North Carolina
Service Area:	Boone and Appalachian State University with service to rural locations throughout Watauga County
Service Type:	Local and Student Commuter
Routes:	24
Stops:	120
Hubs:	ASU College Street Station ASU Peacock Traffic Circle Walmart Rural Route Drop-off
Fleet:	43
Ridership:	1,938,321 annually (2019)
Fuel Type:	Diesel, gasoline & electric
Operator:	Watauga County
Board Chair:	Quint David
Website:	appalcart.com

AppalCART (Appalachian Campus Area Rapid Transit) is a free public bus network located in Boone, North Carolina. It provides fare-free fixed route and paratransit service throughout Appalachian State University and Boone, as well as low-fare van service to other towns within Watauga County.^[1] In 2013, AppalCART reported a ridership of 1,712,873 passenger trips.^[2] In 2019, it reported 1,938,321 trips.^[3]

AppalCART is governed by an 8-member board.^[4] The current chairman of the board is Quint David.^[5] It receives its funding from a mix of federal, state, local, and Appalachian State University funds.^[6]

Routes

Regular routes

Regular routes^[7]

Route name and official color shade	Annual ridership (2019)	Year-round?	Start	High-traffic destinations	High-traffic corridors served	Opposite end
	159,208		ASU Peacock Traffic Circle	ASU Mountaineer Hall ASU Appalachian Heights	Bodenheimer Drive	South Lot / Baseball Stadium
	114,688		ASU Peacock Traffic Circle	ASU Garwood Hall ASU Convocation Center Boone Mall Walmart Watauga Medical Center The Finmore ASU Mountain Laurel Hall ASU Skywalk	Rivers Street Blowing Rock Road /, State Farm Road	ASU College of Health Sciences
	16,099		ASU College Street Station	Sunway Charters / Dogwood Hall ASU Skywalk ASU Trivette Hall ASU Mountaineer Hall ASU Appalachian Heights	Bodenheimer Drive Rivers Street West King Street /,, Hardin Street /	South Lot / Baseball Stadium
(formerly State Farm Lot Shuttle)	45,813		ASU Child Development Center	ASU Living Learning Center ASU Schaefer Center Horn in the West Lot ASU Skywalk	Poplar Grove Road Rivers Street Hardin Street / East King Street / / State Farm Road	ASU State Farm Lot
	294,372		Hospitality House	NC 105 Crosswalk ASU NC 105 Lot ASU Mountain Laurel Hall ASU Schaefer Center ASU College Street Station Watauga High School Mountaineer Village ASU Skywalk	Blowing Rock Road / Rivers Street West King Street /,, East King Street /,,	Cottages of Boone
	20,023		ASU NC 105 Lot	ASU Dogwood Hall ASU Trivette Hall	Bodenheimer Drive Hardin Street /	ASU Mountaineer Hall
(Currently suspended due to staffing shortages)^[8]	180,396		ASU College Street Station	Mountaineer Village	East King Street /,,	Brookshire Park Road
	62,773		ASU Peacock Traffic Circle	ASU Garwood Hall ASU Convocation Center Boone Mall Watauga Medical Center The Finmore ASU Mountain Laurel Hall ASU Skywalk	Rivers Street Blowing Rock Road /, State Farm Road	ASU College of Health Sciences
	273,054		AppalCART Headquarters	High Country Condos ASU Schaefer Center ASU Convocation Center McDonald's NC 105 Crosswalk University Highlands CCC&TI (After 6:00 PM, until 9:50 PM)	,, Rivers Street Blowing Rock Road /	AppalCART Headquarters
	250,639		ASU Peacock Traffic Circle	ASU Garwood Hall ASU Convocation Center Boone Mall The Village at Meadowview ASU Mountain Laurel Hall ASU Skywalk	Rivers Street Blowing Rock Road /, Greenway Road
	366,604		AppalCART Headquarters	High Country Condos ASU College Street Station Walmart Watauga Medical Center Quail Drive	West King Street /,, East King Street / / Greenway Road State Farm Road	ASU College of Health Sciences
	58,385		Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute	Studio West ASU NC 105 Lot ASU Mountain Laurel Hall ASU Skywalk Pinnacle Drive	,, Rivers Street Blowing Rock Road /	Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute
	No data (Established 2023)		ASU Trivette Hall	ASU Skywalk Sunway Charters / ASU Dogwood Hall ASU College Street Station Quail Drive	Rivers Street Hardin Street / State Farm Road	ASU State Farm Lot
	41,535		ASU College of Health Sciences	The Finmore Watauga Medical Center	State Farm Road	ASU College of Health Sciences
Total annual ridership (including Night Owl routes and irregular routes such as Game Day routes) (2019):	1,938,321	-	-	-	-	-

Night Owl routes

Night Owl routes

Route name and official color shade	Annual ridership (2019)	Year-round?	Start	High-traffic destinations	High-traffic corridors served	Opposite end
	3,163		ASU Peacock Traffic Circle	ASU Garwood Hall ASU Convocation Center Boone Mall Walmart Watauga Medical Center The Finmore ASU Mountain Laurel Hall ASU Skywalk	Rivers Street Blowing Rock Road /,	The Village at Meadowview
	2,548		ASU College Street Station	Sunway Charters / Dogwood Hall ASU Skywalk ASU Trivette Hall ASU Mountaineer Hall ASU Appalachian Heights	Bodenheimer Drive Rivers Street West King Street /,, Hardin Street /	South Lot / Baseball Stadium
	3,517		AppalCART Headquarters	High Country Condos ASU Schaefer Center ASU Convocation Center McDonald's NC 105 Crosswalk University Highlands	,, Rivers Street Blowing Rock Road /	AppalCART Headquarters
Total annual ridership (2019)	9,137	-	-	-	-	-

Game Day routes

In addition to the above routes, AppalCART operates seven game day routes: Gray, Express, Purple, Orange, Blue, Gold, and the Disability Shuttle, totaling 24 routes on the system. There are three stops only served by these routes: Poplar Grove Connector Parking Lot, ASU Hill Street Lot, and ASU Stadium East Gate, totaling 120 stops on the entire system.^[9]

Former routes

Former routes^{[10] [11]}

Route name and official color shade	Fate	Active from	Year-round?	Start	High-traffic destinations	High-traffic corridors served	Opposite end
	Low ridership	May 2018–Aug 2021	(Weekends May-Aug only)	Tanger Outlets	Morris Street Holiday Inn Express The Village Inn	Valley Blvd /, Main Street /	Green Park Inn
	Staffing shortages^[12]	Aug 2021–Sep 2021		Caldwell Community College& Technical Institute	Studio West ASU NC 105 Lot ASU Mountain Laurel Hall ASU Skywalk Pinnacle Drive	,, Rivers Street Blowing Rock Road /	Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute
	Merged with Teal to become Green Route^[13]	?–Aug 2018		ASU College Street Station	Mountaineer Village	East King Street /,,	Hospitality House
	Merged with Red	?–Aug 2018		ASU College Street Station	Kensington Apartments High Country Condos	West King Street /,, Queen Street	Old Bristol Road / US 421 near NC 105 Bypass
	Staffing shortages, COVID-19 pandemic^[14]	Aug 2019–Nov 2019		ASU College Street Station	Mountaineer Village	East King Street /,,	Brookshire Park Road
	Merged with Green East to become Green Route	Aug 2013–Aug 2018		ASU Peacock Traffic Circle	Studio West NC 105 Crosswalk ASU Appalachian Panhellenic Hall ASU Skywalk ASU Convocation Center	Rivers Street Blowing Rock Road /	Cottages of Boone
	Unknown	?–Mid-2001	No data archived	No data archived	No data archived	No data archived	No data archived

External links

• Official Website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Archived copy . 2014-01-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140109203908/http://appalcart.com/sites/default/files/overview010814.pdf . 2014-01-09 . dead .
2. Web site: AppalCART Reports Record Ridership Once Again of 1,712,873 Passenger Trips; Six Percent Increase Over 2012 High Country Press. www.hcpress.com. 9 January 2014. en-US. 2018-09-14.
3. Web site: Statistics . 2023-11-27 . AppalCART . en.
4. Web site: Our Board. AppalCart - Boone, NC Public Transportation. en. 2018-09-14.
5. Web site: Board | Appalcart . 2014-01-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140109204259/http://appalcart.com/node/4 . 2014-01-09 .
6. Web site: Alternative Transportation: Mass Transit | Sustain Appalachian . 2014-01-09 . https://archive.today/20140110102743/http://sustain.appstate.edu/masstransit . 2014-01-10 . dead .
7. Web site: Route Maps and Schedules . 2023-11-27 . AppalCART . en.
8. Web site: Patterson . Siri . Edwards . Madalyn . 2023-08-26 . AppalCart introduces new mobile app, changes to routes . 2023-11-27 . The Appalachian.
9. Web site: Game Day Routes . 2023-11-27 . AppalCART . en.
10. Web site: 2023-11-27 . web.archive.org.
11. https://www.raphaelwenger.com/appalcart/schedules&routes.pdf
12. Web site: Markland . Jake . Broyles . Emily . 2021-08-30 . Driver shortage causes shift in AppalCart routes . 2023-11-27 . The Appalachian.
13. Web site: Reece . Kenneth . 2018-06-21 . AppalCART Proposed Fixed Route Changes For August 13, 2018 . 2023-11-27 . WataugaOnline.com . en-US.
14. Web site: Broyles . Emily . Holiday . Gianna . 2020-11-08 . AppalCart seeks public input on Night Owl services after decrease in activity . 2023-11-27 . The Appalachian.