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Sanford, Lee County

Sanford: Buzzline first-birthday party Nov. 12 at McSwain Center

A Tuesday city notice invites the public to a free 10:30 a.m. party marking Buzzline's first year. Officials also said the service area will grow this fall.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Staff · Published

A downtown street in Sanford, N.C.

File photo: Indy beetle (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • The City of Sanford, in a notice posted Oct. 27, 2026, invited the community to celebrate the first full year of Buzzline Microtransit at a birthday party on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026.Confirmed by City of Sanford CivicAlert AID 984, posted Oct. 27, 2026
  • That notice said the party will be at the McSwain Center, 2420 Tramway Road, starting at 10:30 a.m., and that guests can learn more about the program, see a map of the new expanded service area, and get a slice of cake.Confirmed by City of Sanford, Oct. 27, 2026
  • The city wrote that the party is free and open to all.Confirmed by City of Sanford, Oct. 27, 2026
  • The same notice said Buzzline launched in November 2025 as on-demand microtransit in a designated area of Sanford and Lee County, that the City of Sanford and Lee County developed it together, that it is funded through the N.C. Department of Transportation Mobility for Everyone, Everywhere in NC grant until December 2027, and that the County of Lee Transit System operates it.Confirmed by City of Sanford, Oct. 27, 2026
  • The city wrote that Buzzline has provided more than 13,000 rides since launch, with top destination types listed as medical appointments, places of employment, and educational facilities.Confirmed by City of Sanford, Oct. 27, 2026
  • The notice said the United Way, Brick Capital CDC, and The Tiger Den at W.B. Wicker Elementary School have partnered with COLTS to provide trip vouchers for clients, students, and families.Confirmed by City of Sanford, Oct. 27, 2026
  • Lee County Manager Lisa Minter, quoted in that post, said Buzzline has given people a seven-day-a-week way to get where they need to go.Confirmed by City of Sanford, Oct. 27, 2026, quoting Lisa Minter
  • The city wrote that, based on demand, the designated service area will expand this fall to include Southern Lee High School and parts of Tramway.Confirmed by City of Sanford, Oct. 27, 2026
  • Mayor Rebecca Wyhof Salmon, quoted in the same notice, said increasing transportation options has long been a City Council priority.Confirmed by City of Sanford, Oct. 27, 2026, quoting Mayor Rebecca Wyhof Salmon
  • The city wrote that Sanford was one of ten communities selected for the NCDOT grant, and that the program's success across the state has made it a finalist for this year's America's Transportation Awards in the People's Choice category, with voting through Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026.Confirmed by City of Sanford, Oct. 27, 2026
  • The notice named David Montgomery at 919-718-4657, extension 5392, for more information about the event, and pointed riders to buzzlinemicro.com.Confirmed by City of Sanford, Oct. 27, 2026

Still unknown

  • The hour the party ends
  • Whether the expanded-area map will be posted online before Nov. 12
  • A second independent outlet on the party

What this means for you

Instructions from City of Sanford CivicAlert AID 984, Oct. 27, 2026

This site is not the City of Sanford, Lee County, or Buzzline. For the party, contact David Montgomery at 919-718-4657, extension 5392. To book a ride, use buzzlinemicro.com. This is not an emergency service. If someone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Sanford, the city posted Tuesday that Buzzline Microtransit will mark its first full year with a public birthday party on Thursday, Nov. 12.

The notice puts the gathering at the McSwain Center, 2420 Tramway Road, starting at 10:30 a.m. Guests, officials wrote, can hear more about the program, see a map of a newly expanded service area, and have cake. Admission is free, that posting said, and open to everyone.

Buzzline began in November 2025 as an on-demand service inside a set zone of the city and Lee County, according to that same notice. Sanford and the county built it together. The N.C. Department of Transportation Mobility for Everyone, Everywhere in NC grant pays for it through December 2027. The County of Lee Transit System runs the vans.

Riders have taken more than 13,000 trips, the notice said, most often to medical visits, jobs, and schools. It named the United Way, Brick Capital CDC, and The Tiger Den at W.B. Wicker Elementary School as groups that buy vouchers through COLTS.

Lee County Manager Lisa Minter, quoted there, said the service has given people a seven-day way to reach class, work, housing help, or a community event. Mayor Rebecca Wyhof Salmon said better transportation options have long been a council goal.

The post said demand is now pushing the zone out this fall to Southern Lee High School and parts of Tramway. The map for that change, the city wrote, is part of the Nov. 12 program.

Sanford was one of ten places chosen for that state grant, the notice said. It also said the statewide program is a People's Choice finalist for this year's America's Transportation Awards, with voting open through Sunday, Nov. 15.

For questions about the party, the city named David Montgomery at 919-718-4657, extension 5392. Ride bookings go through buzzlinemicro.com.

This site is not the city or the transit system. If someone is in danger, call 911.

What we don't know yet

The notice does not give a closing time. It does not say whether the new-zone map will appear online before that Thursday.

Photos

Text-only. No city photos are used here.

Why it matters

Sanford is marking one year of Buzzline and saying the ride zone will grow this fall. People who want to go need the time, the McSwain Center address, and that this notice comes from the city alone.

Updates

  1. Oct 27, 2026, 10:48 AM

    The city posted Tuesday that Buzzline's first-birthday party is 10:30 a.m. Nov. 12 at the McSwain Center, 2420 Tramway Road. The notice says the party is free and that the service area will expand this fall to Southern Lee High School and parts of Tramway.

Sources

  1. Buzzline to Celebrate First Birthday with a Community Party (City of Sanford CivicAlert AID 984, posted Oct. 27, 2026: first full year; Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026; McSwain Center, 2420 Tramway Road, 10:30 a.m.; learn about the program, map of the new expanded service area, cake; launched November 2025; City of Sanford and Lee County; NCDOT MEE NC grant through December 2027; operated by COLTS; more than 13,000 rides; top destinations medical appointments, employment, educational facilities; United Way, Brick Capital CDC, Tiger Den at W.B. Wicker; Lisa Minter quote; expansion this fall to Southern Lee High School and parts of Tramway; Mayor Salmon quote; one of ten MEE NC communities; America's Transportation Awards People's Choice finalist, voting through Nov. 15, 2026; free and open to all; David Montgomery, 919-718-4657 x5392; buzzlinemicro.com.)

    Official sourcePublished by City of Sanford · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 10:45 AM

  2. Buzzline to Celebrate First Birthday with a Community Party (City of Sanford mobile news-flash detail, same Oct. 27, 2026, notice as CivicAlert AID 984.)

    Official sourcePublished by City of Sanford · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 10:45 AM

  3. Buzzline Microtransit site (booking page named in the Oct. 27 city notice. Used only as the official ride-booking address. Not a second account of the party.)

    Official sourcePublished by Buzzline Microtransit / City of Sanford and Lee County · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 10:45 AM

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