If you catch yourself in need of a lift in downtown Durham—maybe you’ve left your Broadway show at DPAC and need to jet over to Geer Street Garden to make your dinner reservation—standing by the roadside and throwing up the iconic “Bull City” hand gesture could land you a trip on the Bull Ride, a new shuttle service from Downtown Durham, Inc. (DDI).

DDI rolled out a new fleet of fully electric, golf-cart-esque vehicles as part of a relaunch of its Downtown Ambassadors program. A six-seater operates as the Bull Ride on Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to midnight, and Fridays and Saturdays from noon to midnight, when a higher volume of patrons descends on the business district. Hailing a ride is as simple as flagging down a car in sight or calling the hotline, 919-682-BULL.

Trips on the Bull Ride are free and will take you anywhere within the downtown Business Improvement District, which spans from Golden Belt to Brightleaf, and from NC-147 to roughly Old North Durham Park. But don’t expect to get a 30-minute tour of the city center; extended rides are not allowed. Wait times vary depending on the time and day, just like an Uber or Lyft.

The carts are equipped with lights and speakers. It’s not quite the Shooter’s party bus, but the DDI ambassador drivers get to hold the aux and curate their own playlists. It keeps the energy high, says Kenny Valenzuela, director of “clean and safe” at DDI. Demand for rides has steadily increased since the launch in January.

“It’s not just a ride from one destination to the other,” Valenzuela says. “We wanted it to be something a little bit more fun, more of an experience.”

Bull Ride does come with a few stipulations. You must be over eight years old and over 80 pounds, and no pets except service (and party) animals. Smoking and drinking are prohibited while riding though, so you’ll have to chug those Bullpen social district cups before hopping on.

In January, DDI and its Downtown Ambassadors program went through a rebrand. DDI switched from burgundy red to a new purple-and-white color scheme. The ambassador program, which previously sported bright teal, adopted the same purple to create cohesion between the program and its parent company, making the Bull Ride easy to spot.

The Bull Ride also serves as a safety escort for folks at night, particularly people working in downtown Durham, as aggressive panhandling has been a concern for business owners wanting to protect their staff and customers.

When DDI ambassadors aren’t giving rides around downtown, they’re making more frequent stops at businesses to get feedback on what’s working and how to further enhance the district. Ambassadors also conduct quality-of-life checks with panhandlers and the unhoused population downtown, Valenzuela says. His team received training in de-escalation tactics and works in tandem with HEART and the police department to help folks in need get access to services.

DDI’s Downtown Ambassadors program rebranded in January from teal to purple. Credit: Photo courtesy of Downtown Durham Inc.

“HEART does a great job, but they’re dispatched, so what our ambassadors provide is a more visible presence by patrolling the streets,” says Valenzuela.

The additional service vehicles, a pair of two-seaters, allow ambassadors to cover more ground during a shift and remain a constant presence available to whoever might need them. 

“They’re walking into the businesses and saying, ‘Hey, what is it that you’re experiencing?’” Valenzuela says. “’Do you have any safety concerns? Is there something that we can do a better job of?’ Getting that information is critical.”

Valenzuela spent his career in venue management before moving to Durham from New Mexico to run DDI’s ambassador program, which he says entails working with his team, business owners, and a number of city departments to improve the downtown experience.

His team of ambassadors, 10 in total, is separated into two departments, cleaning and hospitality. The cleaning team is responsible for trash collection at around 200 trash cans and supports cleanup after major public events like last month’s inaugural Biscuits & Banjos festival. DDI has two large pickup trucks in its fleet for cleaning and landscaping responsibilities.

DDI also has a special projects manager who leads on beautification efforts, improving seating at plazas and public parks and thinking about how to better activate spaces like Orange Street and downtown alleyways. 

The success of the revamped ambassador program will largely depend on the feedback from business owners within the Business Improvement District. The program has only been around for a few months, but folks are already starting to take notice, Valenzuela says.

“As soon as this thing launched,” Valenzuela says, “we got constant calls and emails saying, ‘Wow, we notice a big difference.’ Building that community is how we define success after just a couple of months. We are sort of building this program from scratch with a new team and new company.”

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Justin Laidlaw is a reporter for the INDY, covering Durham. A Bull City native, he joined the staff in 2023 and previously wrote By The Horns, a blog about city council.