WS Chronicle

The Winston-Salem Transit Authority (WSTA) has unveiled a brand new Route 100. The bus route has been redesigned to provide college students with direct access to grocery stores, restaurants, shopping centers and hospitals.

Beginning at Union Station, Route 100 will travel to Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), Salem College, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Forsyth Technical Community College. It will then head north on Miller Street to Stratford Road and head west on Stratford to Silas Creek, where it will enter Hanes Mall. From there, it will return students to their campuses. While the primary target for Route 100 is college students, Route 100 is open to the public and bus stops have been placed along the entire route.

The idea for the campus route was originally proposed by Councilman Derwin Montgomery. Citing the need for the route, Montgomery said, “The bus provides access to a variety of new options for college students who don’t own automobiles. This has been needed for a long time.”

Route 100 will operate seven days a week (Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.). Buses will complete the entire route every hour and 15 minutes. The fare for Route 100 is the standard $1 and traditional discounts for the disabled and elderly apply.

WSTA General Manager Art Barnes said, “Route 100 represents new opportunities for commercial establishments along the route to market their products and services.”

Students will enjoy access to WSTA’s “Next Bus” system for Route 100. The system will allow students to see the location of their buses in real-time on their smart phones.

“Access to Next Bus for Route 100 should go online within the next couple of weeks,” Barnes said.

Major stops along the route include: Cloverdale Shopping Center, Publix, Whole Foods, Thruway Shopping Center, Hanestowne Shopping Center and Hanes Mall.

The new route was unveiled on Feb. 25.

For more information, visit http://wstransit.com.