Transit Success Stories • June 2001

There's a lot happening with public transit! Demand is rising for high quality transit both nationally and in Virginia. Transit systems throughout the Commonwealth are pursuing innovative programs in order to break down barriers to transit and improve Virginians' quality of life.

Here are some examples of Virginia transit successes. These projects may be successful in your community. (We couldn't fit all of our success stories in one issue, so stay tuned for Part Two!)

Bay Transit was founded in 1996 in Gloucester County, and since then has aggressively expanded and increased ridership in the surrounding counties of Lancaster, Essex, Northumberland and Matthews. Since its inception, Bay Transit's service has grown from one bus to 15 vehicles and provides more than 5,000 rides per month in this rural area of northeast Virginia. In addition to the public transit service, Bay Transit has also been involved in providing welfare reform "journey to work" public transportation services and coordinating with "Ride Share" Programs.

In Charlottesville, new services have been popping up all over town. The free trolley connects downtown Charlottesville with the University of Virginia and the nearby commercial area, the "Corner." Since its inception in September 2000, the average ridership has been 30,000 per month. The Charlottesville Transit Service (CTS) Football Shuttle has also been a success. During football season, the shuttle transported sports fans from downtown to the stadium every five minutes, significantly reducing traffic congestion and parking problems. Of course, some serious studying gets done in this college town too. CTS recently expanded night bus service to Piedmont Community College to increase accessibility to night classes.

FRED (Fredericksburg Regional Transit) is growing by leaps and bounds. In the last year, 200,000 passengers were transported -- that's a 52% increase since start-up in 1996 and a 14% increase in the past year. FRED's public and private partnerships contribute to its success. Mary Washington College, Ukrop's and the Silver Companies provide significant financial support, which allows FRED to keep its fares affordable for everyone in the community. FRED's longtime supporter, MediCorp Health System, won VTA's 2001 Business Partner of the Year Award.

James City County Transit (JCCT) in Williamsburg established a new bus route in Spring 2001 to address community demand for access to government buildings, shopping centers and health care facilities. This new "shopping circulator" originates at Williamsburg Transportation Center and stops at various points of interest, including the Williamsburg Shopping Center and the Monticello Marketplace. It also provides direct service to the Virginia Employment Commission, Williamsburg Community Hospital and the Williamsburg-James City Courthouse. These areas have been identified as high-growth commercial areas with extensive transportation needs.

Loudoun Transit and the Town of Orange together have established transit services, called "TOOT," connecting all major locations in this small, rural town. The main goal of this joint project is to increase mobility for the elderly and disabled. During the first month of the demonstration period in 1996, ridership remained minimal at 170. By the end of the fourth month, ridership had increased to over 1,100 people. TOOT now provides transportation to over 1,300 town residents. Nearly one-half of riders are elderly or handicapped. This system will eventually be linked to Dulles Corridor services to further increase mobility.

Norfolk's downtown is booming, with attractions such as the Nauticus Maritime Center and the MacArthur Center. To further this successful downtown revitalization, Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) and the City of Norfolk have collaborated to operate a free electric bus route in downtown Norfolk. The "NET" makes 16 stops at shops, restaurants and attractions downtown. Since its inception in 1999, this free service has been very popular with tourists, commuters parking on off-site lots and citizens attending local festivals. Ridership in fiscal year 2000 was over 400,000. On average, monthly ridership holds steady at 32,000.

The Greater Richmond Transit Company has started its long anticipated expansion into suburban Chesterfield County with its new van service, "Chesterfield LINK." The LINK provides two express routes downtown, four local routes around the county and door-to-door service for handicapped passengers who live within 3/4 of a mile of local routes. Early ridership figures have greatly exceeded expectations! In its first 22 days of local service, LINK provided over 1,500 rides. The express routes were also extremely popular, with over 5,000 rides in the first 19 days.

Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is experiencing record highs in ridership! On a recent summer workday, WMATA carried over 700,000 riders -- that's the fourth highest ridership in its history and a statistic usually seen on the Fourth of July. From FY1996 to FY2000, rail ridership increased by 22.7 million trips and bus ridership increased by 9.5 million trips. The entire WMATA system is estimated to provide 40 percent of the commuting trips inside the Capitol Beltway. Without MetroRail and MetroBus, it is estimated that about 780,000 more cars would be on the road in the Capitol region.