The three mayors in the region sat down with Triangle Transit Authority, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and Capital Area Transit Authority staff last Wednesday to explore how to provide bus and mass transit service here.

The meeting was set up by Special Transit Advisory Commission member Frank Timberlake of Knightdale.

“The commitments made by Knightdale, the mayors of eastern Wake County, TTA and Capital Area Transit was to put together a group to determine how to provide bus service to eastern Wake County, how much (service) we need and what kind of financial commitment will be required from each town,” said Knightdale Mayor Russell Killen. “It will consist of staff people from each town and the staff people from TTA to sit down and work on a plan.”

Killen said the group will set up the initial meeting, and then put together a schedule for the group.

“They will then come back to each council and make presentations to them to make sure we’re all on board,” he said.

TTA manager David King, who met with the group, said the possibility of bus service in eastern Wake County is separate from whatever comes from the work of the Special Transportation Advisory Committee, the group established by the CAMPO to come up with transit plans for the region.

King said the committee’s proposal, if approved by CAMPO, calls for seeking permission from the N.C. General Assembly for a half cent sales tax to fund their plan which, in part, includes adding 150 to 200 buses for the region.

“We don’t want bus service to eastern Wake to be hostage to that process,” he said.

King said he had the support of his board to plan for added bus service.

“We wouldn’t be out there if TTA wouldn’t be a funding partner,” he said.

King also said part of the group’s charge will be coming up with a plan for bus routes.

The plans being discussed are for commuter service with stops in Zebulon, Wendell and Knightdale, Wake Med main campus and the C.A.T. bus station downtown. From there commuters could travel to other points in Raleigh and catch a TTA bus to other parts of the Triangle.

Circulator service, or buses within the towns, could follow the spine of commuter service, King said.

“The bus officials came to eastern Wake County to say do you want bus service, it was more that way,” said Timberlake. “With three-dollar-plus gas prices, you’re not going to have to twist any arms to get someone to take the bus.”

He said bus service and mass transit had mass appeal.

“We can make bus transit appeal to Boomers, Generation X and even Generation Y,” said Timberlake. “If you park your car and go into Raleigh, you can work on your laptop, you can listen to tunes or you can sit back and relax — that’s got all the generations covered.”

CAT manager David Eatman said he was encouraged, but didn’t know how the plans would play out.

“This meeting was really, really a base level meeting,” he said. “It seems from a conceptual standpoint at least, they’re interested.”

Knightdale’s Killen said the area needs the service.

“Bus service and mass transit for residents of eastern Wake County has been something we’ve been pushing for a while. It’s something we need,” said Killen. “Hopefully we can get this on the fast track in going forward.”