This week in transit: Join us for the Pulse Pedal Pursuit!

TAKE ACTION

Now that RVA Transit Week is over, it’s, sadly, time to move on. Luckily we can move right on to the Pulse Pedal Pursuit! Our friends at Sports Backers are hosting a walking, biking, and public transit scavenger hunt along the Pulse corridor on July 21st. Put together a team (or go solo) and try to score points by visiting as many location as you can on foot, RVA Bike Share, or the Pulse. Top teams will win prizes, but everyone gets a free GRTC 1-day pass and a 30-day membership to RVA Bike Share.

You can register here, and, if you’re feeling generous, chip in a couple of bucks to the event’s charity partner...RVA Rapid Transit! Looking forward to seeing y’all out there—should be a blast.

AROUND THE REGION

Alright, the week of free rides has ended. Now, if you want to ride the bus you’ll need to pay the fare. Here are some things to know:

  • A single ride cost $1.50, and, if you need to transfer to another bus, $1.75 for a One Ride Plus pass.
  • Since the new bus network is designed for easy transfers between frequent routes, it’s often best just to buy a $3.50 1-day pass and then ride as much as you want. You can do this at places like Kroger, CVS, and Walgreens. Here’s a full list of where to get passes.
  • If you’re not trying to add another errand to your life, you can use the new mobile payment app to buy your pass.
  • Once you board the bus just tap your pass to the top of the fare box or scan the QR code in the mobile app, and you’re good to go.
  • Finally, since the Pulse requires off-board fare payment (which speeds up boarding) validating your pass works a bit differently. You can watch this video from GRTC which explains it all.

On opening week, ridership on the Pulse blew projections out of the water, crushing the goal of 3,500 riders per day. Over the first three days, our new BRT saw ridership numbers easily double that goal (8,669; 7,968; and 7,877). We’ll see how that changes this coming week with the end of free fares and a mid-week holiday, but these early numbers are very impressive.

ELSEWHERE

Now that Richmond has a BRT and a redesigned bus network, what’s next? The answer: More frequent bus service to more places, connecting folks to jobs. This story about a Dallas man with a daily commute of three hours (each way!) is something folks in Richmond are dealing with today—even after our major transit upgrade.

Ann Arbor has seen their ridership increase by about 5% by spending more money (via a regional transit tax) on regular ol’ bus service—expanding routes, improving frequency, and extending hours. It’s definitely not rocket science, but it does take more money.


If you'd like to support RVA Rapid Transit's work to bring a truly regional transit system to Richmond, consider making a tax-deductible donation.

—Ross Catrow

This week in transit: The Pulse is here!

TAKE ACTION

It’s here! After years and years of hard work, meetings, planning, and advocacy the GRTC Pulse and entirely redesigned bus system are up and running. Today! Right now! Maybe you’re even reading this email on the Pulse or one of the new routes right now?

If not, here are a couple of things to get you started:

  • First, check out the new system map (PDF) to get a lay of the land.
  • You can plan your specific trip in a variety of ways, including Google Maps, Apple Maps, or GRTC’s newly refreshed app (available on the App Store of your choosing). Or even download PDFs of the paper schedules if you’re feeling old school.
  • Remember that most of the routes and some of the stops have changed. If you’re used to catching a certain bus at a certain stop at a certain time, make sure you check on the new state of affairs first.
  • For this week, June 24–30, all GRTC buses—including the Pulse—are free! After this week, you can pay in a variety of ways, but the one I’m most excited about is the new Mobile Pass app (also available in the App Store of your choosing). Using this app you can purchase a 1-day, 7-day, or 30-day pass.
  • If you’re looking for ways to explore the system this week, check out our RVA Transit Week suggestions. We’ve got a bunch of suggested destinations in different parts of town using different bus lines. Get out there and explore!

AROUND THE REGION

In today’s news it’s all Pulse, all the time! See what local media has to say:


If you'd like to support RVA Rapid Transit's work to bring a truly regional transit system to Richmond, consider making a tax-deductible donation.

—Ross Catrow

This week in transit: Just one more week!

TAKE ACTION

First, before we get to the exciting stuff about all the new bus business, an important way to get involved:

GRTC will host a public meeting tomorrow, June 18th, at 6:00 PM (2300 W. Broad Street) to discuss the removal of a bus stop at Davis & Broad and a permanent redesign of the (yet-to-launch) routes #50, #76, and #77. These sudden changes, after years of public process and just a couple of weeks before the new system opens on June 24th, come in response to nearby residents expressing concerns about the proximity of the three routes to homes on Grace Street and to the William Byrd Senior apartments.

GRTC has a temporary plan to move the stop and the routes away from this block bounded by Broad, Davis, Grace, and Robinson and, on Monday, will request feedback on a proposed permanent redesign. Bus service in Richmond operates on a fixed budget. Any additional costs incurred by removing bus service on this block could mean cuts to bus service in another part of town.

Please consider attending this public meeting to let GRTC know that whatever the plans are for this block of Grace Street, they should not negatively impact another neighborhood’s access to the bus network.

AROUND THE REGION

On to the excitement!

The Pulse and all of the totally redesigned bus routes will launch on June 24th! That’s NEXT SUNDAY!! NEXT! SUNDAY!

That week, all rides on GRTC will be free (hooray!). To celebrate we’re launching RVA Transit Week! Think of it as a Choose Your Own Adventure but for riding the bus. We’ve put together a list of suggested bus trips—at least one for each day—spread throughout the city using a variety of different routes and the Pulse. We hope that these options will inspire you to get out and ride the bus—that first week and beyond.

As some added incentive to get out there and ride, we’ve got two pairs of tickets to that week’s Friday Cheers (Turnpike Troubadours with Charley Crockett) to give away. Just reply to this email by June 22nd, and I’ll randomly pick two lucky winners. Spend some time enjoying music on the river by bus—Brown’s Island is easily accessible by both the #87 and #5.

ELSEWHERE

New York City has included $106 million in their latest budget to help subsidize public transit for low-income riders. The Fair Fares program will offer half price MetroCards to New Yorkers whose income is below the federal poverty line. In Richmond, GRTC does offer reduced fares for adults over the age of 65, riders with certain disabilities, and minors, however, we don’t have a similar program for low-income riders.

This is neat: In Cincinnati, the Better Bus Coalition is making DIY benches for bus stops that have no street furniture. When all the new changes launch on June 24th we’ll have more frequent routes, which means less waiting around, but we’ve still got our own share of stops in town where folks could use a comfortable place to sit.


If you'd like to support RVA Rapid Transit's work to bring a truly regional transit system to Richmond, consider making a tax-deductible donation.

—Ross Catrow