August 1, 2024, marked 50 years of Chapel Hill Transit. The town is planning to both celebrate the milestone and honor those involved in creating the service with community events, which are set to take place in the upcoming weeks. The currently fare-free transit service is recognizable by its Carolina blue buses that traverse the Chapel Hill, UNC, and Carrboro communities. While the system officially began operations 50 years ago, Director of Chapel Hill Transit Brian Litchfield said the idea for it started several years beforehand. Former Chapel Hill Mayor Howard Lee was a big proponent of the transit system, the director explained, and it was one of his grand visions for the town when running for election. A first attempt at a transit service began in the early 70s until it ran out of funding six months into the operation. But he pushed through with the help of the university, Litchfield said, creating a transit system that has now been running since 1974. Today, Chapel Hill Tran...