Our Story
The legal name of the system is Western Piedmont Regional Transit Authority. The Authority's Board of Directors selected the new system name in November 2008. The new name is symbolic of the system's role with regard to providing environmentally responsible transportation solutions and enhancing the overall quality of life within the region. Greenway Public Transportation provides over 2
50,000 trips each year to residents living in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba County. Greenway is a responsible transportation solution and an excellent way to build a cleaner, more vibrant, healthier and less congested community. Mission, Vision, Values
Mission: Greenway Public Transportation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in the region by delivering safe, convenient and more environmentally efficient transportation solutions
Vision: Transit as an attractive, and competitive alternative to the automobile. Values: Our commitment to One Another and Our Customers
Our values consist of: quality, teamwork, integrity, and public service. Quality: Provide safe, high-quality transportation services to all customers, and continually strive to improve the organization and its services. Teamwork: Promote cooperative relationships within the organization, an employee supportive work environment and strong partnerships with the general public, business, and other public agencies. Integrity: Ensure cost-effective and efficient use of resources, maintain transparent business practices, and deliver on promises. Public Service: Provide social, economic, and environmental benefits to the community through system operations and improvements, and promote community awareness of these contributions. History of Greenway
On July 1, 2008, the Western Piedmont Regional Transit Authority officially came into being and became the first rural, urban regional transit Authority in the State of North Carolina. The Western Piedmont Regional Transit Authority operates as Greenway Public Transportation. It provides van service to residents of Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba Counties, and bus service to residents in the cities of Conover, Hickory, and Newton. The Greenway story began in 2001 when the staff at Caldwell County Area Transit undertook a feasibility study to evaluate the benefits of creating a regional transit system. This study was completed in 2004 and identified advantages to creating a regional system, including the ability to create seamless connections, an opportunity to bring more transit funding to the region, potential cost reduction and economy of scales, and quality improvements through the development of a more specialized staff. From feasibility to implementation, the study moved forward in 2005 when the City of Hickory applied for funding to study the implementation of a consolidated regional transit system. A consortium guided the study effort and included the Managers of Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba Counties; the City Managers from Conover, Hickory, and Newton, as well as a representative from the Western Piedmont Council of Governments. The implementation plan was completed in 2007 and by September 2007 consortium members signed a resolution agreeing to create a new regional transit Authority. Between January 2008 and June 2008, the new organization was staffed and actions necessary to establish the new entity were completed. On July 1, 2008, the Western Piedmont Regional Transit Authority officially came into being and became the first rural, urban regional transit Authority in the State of North Carolina.
