GRTC will offer rides through on-demand system

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The Greater Richmond Transit Company will soon provide services in rural areas with little to no access to public transportation.

The service will look like how people currently order rides with Uber or Lyft.

“It’s important because it’s offering people more transportation options, and when you have more transportation options, you have more freedom to move around and conduct your life,” GRTC’s Director of Planning and Scheduling Sam Sink said.

Sink says people will be able to request rides through a GRTC mobile app or by giving the company a call.

“Let’s say a family who lives in Powhatan maybe they have one car for their household. Maybe it’s mom staying at home with the kids, and she doesn’t have a car because her husband is out working and is using the car for that. She would be able to schedule a trip using an app,” Sink said.

Sink says the micro-transit pilot program will provide rides in five zones, including Sandston-Elko, Powhatan, North Chesterfield West, Washington Park and Ashland.

“We’re focusing in on areas where there wasn’t transit service today, or there was subpar transit services, or wasn’t something you couldn’t use all day every day. We also looked at things like zero-income households and jobs in the area,” Sink said.

She says the pilot program will last for three years and could potentially provide thousands of trips not currently available.

“This will be the region’s first use of micro-transit, so we really want to get it out on the street and kind of see how it performs, so we can evaluate it and determine if this is something we want to keep investing in and spreading to parts of the region,” Sink said.

As for if the service will be free or not, SInk says they’re still finalizing the details.

Sink says they plan to launch the pilot program this upcoming September.

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