National Express was awarded the contract for fixed-route transit and daily commuter services with the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA in November 2012. Partnering with local management and experienced transit staff company-wide, we successfully implemented and transitioned service virtually seamlessly in less than one month's time. We were successful in acquiring two facilities, hiring all existing employees and having two fully functional shop facilities operational by the takeover. The client-provided fleet consists of a mixture of 40-foot Orion commuter buses and a variety of shuttle vehicles.
National Express very quickly established an effective partnership with the agency. Shortly after the transition of services to National Express, the PART customer, Scott Rhine, said of the company's ability to commence services under such a compressed timeline: "What was nearly unachievable was in fact accomplished without any disruption of service to the citizens we serve." He continued: "I am excited about the working relationships between our two organizations in the future."
Since 2012, National Express has provided the following types of service in the Piedmont Triad Region of North Carolina:
- Regional Express Bus Service
- Regional Shuttle Service
- PART Connections - University of North Carolina & Duke University Medical Facilities
- Amtrak Connector Service (7 days a week / 365 days a year)
Shortly after the first anniversary of National Express services, the Piedmont Triad region experienced a rare winter storm of ice, snow, and high winds. The National Express crew faced this challenge in typical fashion and safely operated services. Again, the Scott Rhine commended National Express: "Thank you all from PART management and staff for the fantastic jobs you are doing to keep PART Express efficient, safe, courteous and customer oriented to allow us to be a premier organisation. You do an excellent job and I assure you that it does no go without being recognised. I am very grateful that you are a member of the PART Family"
