RICHMOND, Va. -- The walk to his GRTC bus stop on Azalea Ave. on Richmond's Northside ends with expected side effects for James Smith.
“Oh yeah, come on. You lag along, but you got to do what you got to do to get where you’re going. I got a doctor's appointment, and I don’t drive. So, got to go," Smith said while drinking from his water bottle. "I'm sweating now."
Later this year, his 15-20 minute walk to the stop could be reduced or eliminated with a new micro-transit program GRTC plans to roll out in the area later this year.
"C’mon. Micro-transit, that would be a blessing," Smith said.
Current route 93, near Azalea Avenue, will be replaced with the new micro-transit program. It is one of five "zones" in which smaller, on demand van services will replace the fixed bus routes. GRTC spokesperson Henry Bendon explains it this way.
“Micro-transit is kind of like Uber Pool. We are going to have vans, some of them e-vans for environmentally friendly service, and we’re going to go around inside of dedicated zones," Bendon said. "You’re going to have an app, it will be integrated with our system. You’re going to call for a ride and say, ‘Here’s where I am; this is where I want to go,’ and we’re going to come pick you up.”
Last week, the Central Virginia Transportation Authority approved of GRTC's micro-transit plan. The CVTA is made of up nine localities in and near the metro and various transportation agencies, with a dedicated funding source and staff to advance transportation options across the region.
GRTC said the micro-transit programwill make the first/last mile of the trip for riders in the zones more efficient and expand access to the system in places that have never had it. The five zones that will be implemented first include Azalea, Ashlans, southwest Chesterfield, Powhatan, and Sandston.
"There are places where it doesn’t make sense to run a 40-foot transit bus, but we want to absolutely provide people the connections to work, the hospital, and their friends that they deserve," Bendon said. “It’s really an exiting and innovative development in service outside of that dedicated, fixed-route transit corridor.”
The fixed routes will also be expanding soon. CVTA approved of GRTC's plan to extend several existing routes in Chesterfield and Henrico miles farther into the counties.
- Route 1 will soon extend out to the intersection of Brook Road and Parham Road in Henrico. It currently runs from downtown to near the Henrico-Richmond border.
- Route 1a will soon head farther south down Midlothian Turnpike to the Walmart near Midlothian. It currently runs from downtown to near Chippenham Parkway.
- Route 19 may soon extend into Goochland County, althought GRTC said it is still working on funding. It currently runs between Willow Lawn and Short Pump.
Bendon said the partnerships within CVTA make this kind of regional approach to transportation possible.
"This means we can create an approach to transportation that serves the greater Richmond region. It’s out goal as an agency, and it’s what we want to provide," he said.
Any expansion of the public transit system is a welcome outcome for Smith.
"I don’t want to stand out here no 20-30 minutes, not in the sun," Smith said. "You’re going to get those who don’t like the change, but the majority of the people are going to say, hey. . . it’s better for the people, simple as that.”
GRTC said they expect the first micro-transit zone to launch in the fall, but driver training, app development, and other factors are still be worked out. Bendond said they do not plan to roll out micro-transit zones until it is running "perfect" for users.
The route expansions will likely begin early next year, he said.
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