Summer brings new GRTC Pulse buses, few expanded routes, new drivers

Some Greater Richmond Transit Company bus routes are increasing in frequency, but most that were cut back in the winter are remaining in a reduced state. Those changes were communicated at this month’s GRTC board meeting.

Routes 7A and 7B, which serve Henrico County riders via Nine Mile Road and Richmond International Airport, to downtown, will adjust the layover location currently at RIC because of safety concerns.

According to airport officials, RIC requested that GRTC consider a layover spot other than the Terminal Drive bus stop on the upper level. At times, RIC was seeing as many as three buses with extended layovers in front of the terminal. After the start of hostilities with Iran, federal security guidance communicated to airports to keep curbside areas clear, particularly with respect to larger vehicles

GRTC officials said the new bus stop layover location would switch to the Waffle House on the route.

Starting in July, the 7A and 7B routes schedule also will increase to run every 30 minutes until 8 p.m. on weekdays and every 60 minutes after 8 p.m.

At a GRTC board meeting June 16 during a presentation focusing on service updates, GRTC Assistant Director of Planning and Scheduling Patricia Robinson said the additional evening trips will benefit an average of 72 riders per day on the busy route.

Robert Jennings, a 7 GRTC bus rider waited for a driver at the Richmond International Airport bus stop to take him to his work on a Tuesday morning in the spring. Starting in July, the 7A and 7B routes schedule will increase to run every 30 minutes until 8 p.m. on weekdays and every 60 minutes after 8 p.m. But the layover stop location will change due to security concerns. (Dina Weinstein/Henrico Citizen)

After the changes took effect in the winter, 7A and 7B bus riders expressed concern about the frequency of the routes.

“The bus is never on time, it’s habitually late,” said Robert Jennings, a 7 bus rider waiting for a driver to take off from the airport bus stop to take him to his work on Tuesday morning. “Punctuality is important.”

Another rider at the airport said he wanted the same bus schedule on the weekends as during the week so he can get to his work and does not have to wait in the cold or heat. It currently runs once an hour on Saturday and Sunday.

“Saturday, when the bus comes it takes more time,” said Bha Oubakar, who was also waiting for the 7 bus at the airport to get to his job downtown.

The route map for GRTC bus routs 7A and 7B. (Courtesy GRTC)

Additional route changes

Another change to the Routes 4A and 4B in Henrico will adjust layover time near Oakwood Apartments due to residents’ concerns.

Elsewhere in the region, bus routes 5 and 20 have adjusted their run times for what GRTC staff said improved on-time performance. And Express Route 95X added stops to service Brightpoint Community College for improved connectivity and increased route utilization.

A number of Henrico bus routes that had been cut back in the winter remain on limited schedules, including:

• the 19 bus that traverses West Broad Street, which was cut back on Sundays and Saturdays;

• the 76 bus on Patterson Avenue, which was completely stopped on weekends;

• and the 79 bus on Patterson/Parham, which continues to only run during peak morning and afternoon hours.

Four other bus routes in the region – the 1A, the 12 on Church Hill, the 14 Hermitage/East Main, the 87 that goes to Bellemeade/Hopkins and the 20 Orbital – will remain on the limited winter schedules.

In the winter, GRTC leadership said the cutbacks were due to lack of drivers. In May, driver staffing was at 317; this month, that number is expected to be at 322. The transit agency’s top budgeted range for driver staffing is 325.

This summer also will bring a number of new GRTC vehicles to serve public transit riders. In July, eight articulated buses will traverse the Pulse bus rapid transit route accommodating more riders, five micro transit vans and ten paratransit vans with compressed natural gas tanks will join GRTC’s fleet.

Image of articulated bus meant to accommodate more passengers on the Pulse bus rapid transit routes. Image: GRTC Facebook

Financial challenges and call to action

Summarizing GRTC’s financial performance overview at the board meeting, GRTC Financial Planning and Analysis Manager Bodgan Cirjeu showed the GRTC board that local funds are viewed as unfavorable by $5.4 million.

This outlook is further impacted by lower-than-budgeted service miles for the Chesterfield Route 1A extension. Other local contributing factors include the allocation of local match funding to deferred capital revenue for FY2026 operating and capital grants across Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield.

State government funds fall short by $0.56 million against a $27.5 million budget, due to the timing of Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit grant reimbursements, relative to budget assumptions.

On Tuesday, the Coalition for Smarter Growth urged Virginians to tell state delegates and senators reconvening this week in Richmond to pass a budget by the June 30 deadline. The public transit advocacy organization lamented that some of the current proposals wouldn't provide critical operating funds for public transit systems around the state including the GRTC, which could benefit significantly from a data center tax.

GRTC is also impacted by an unfavorable federal funding situation by $1.9 million, due to the timing of grant funded project expense submissions, versus budgeted assumptions, according to Cirjeu. Meanwhile, he reported favorable direct funds by $258,000 driven by factors like interest income and advertising revenue.

The GRTC Board of Directors resolved to support the project applications submitted for evaluation under Virginia Department of Transportation SMART SCALE funding in 2032. Through the SMART SCALE prioritization process, four projects that would expand public transit in Henrico County could potentially be funded.

Those projects include:

• a $162 million grant application to fund the northern and central segments of the North-South BRT project;

• another application that will be submitted for the combined central and southern segments;

• the Western Extension BRT for $17 million;

• a transfer center with a park-and-ride at Willow Lawn that will be submitted for $35 million.

The GRTC board also is supporting a $17.8 million SMART SCALE grant for an Amtrak train layover facility at Fulton Yard, which is expected to improve on-time performance.

GRTC has cited $6 million as the amount needed to keep the public transit service free for its 12 million annual riders. A TAP Into Transit Day on July 14 at the Main Street Station is meant to be both a fun event as well as a serious fundraiser calling on the general public to donate to GRTC’s Transit Action Partnership or TAP.

The public transit agency is appealing to the public for ongoing donations to the nonprofit RideFinders, which is affiliated with GRTC, as well, to keep the transportation service free.

Dina Weinstein is the Citizen’s community vitality reporter and a Report for America corps member, covering housing, health and transportation. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.