Greater Richmond Transit Company

GRTC Transit System
Slogan It's So Easy!
Founded 1860
Headquarters 301 East Belt Boulevard
Locale Richmond, Virginia
Service area Richmond, Virginia
Service type bus service, paratransit
Routes 59 local routes
12 express routes
Destinations
Fleet 231 buses & vans
Operator [M-V]
Chief executive David Green
Website GRTC Transit System

The Greater Richmond Transit Company, known locally as GRTC Transit System, is a local government-owned public service company which operates an urban-suburban bus line based in Richmond, Virginia.

GRTC primarily serves the independent city of Richmond and a very small portion of the adjacent counties of Henrico and Chesterfield with a fleet of over 175 diesel-powered and CNG-powered transit buses operating approximately 59 routes.

GRTC uses government-funded equipment and resources principally provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT), and local funds. It also maintains equipment and has other affiliations with Petersburg Area Transit, a similar agency which also serves a portion of Chesterfield County.

Ownership and management

As a public service company, GRTC is owned equally by the City of Richmond and neighboring Chesterfield County. Henrico County currently purchases services from it, but holds no ownership interest.

It is managed by a private transit management company that provides the CEO, COO, and Transportation Manager, as was its predecessor, Virginia Transit Company (VTC). GRTC itself has 400 employees.

Ownership history

In 1860, Richmond Railway was organized, beginning operations in August. The service was forced to stop for nearly 2 years during the Civil War.

In 1866, Joseph Jackson, Jr., acquired control and resumed operations.

In 1881, it was sold to Richmond City Railway Company.

In 1887, The Richmond City Council adopted an ordinance granting a franchise to the Richmond Union Passenger Railway Company to operate a street railway system. Ground was broken for laying rail.

In 1888, Frank Sprague installed a complete system of electric streetcars in Richmond, Virginia. This was the first large scale and successful use of electricity to run a city's entire system of streetcars. Operation of streetcars continued until they were totally replaced by buses in 1949.

In 1925, Virginia Railway and Power company bought the transit system.

In 1944, the Securities and Exchange Commission directed Virginia Electric and Power company to confine its activities to the electricity business.

In 1944, the Richmond transit bus system (and a similar one in Norfolk) was purchased by VTC, which became part of the United Transit Company the next year. After World War II, public transit systems in the United States became unprofitable, and most were eventually converted to government-owned and funded operations. This trend included Virginia Transit Company operations in Richmond and Norfolk.

In 1947, the Main Street and Westhampton streetcar lines are motorized. Virginia Transit Company began conversion to motor buses.

In 1949, Buses replace electric trolleys. On November 25, 1949, ten streetcars make the last run.

In 1962, American Transportation Enterprises, Inc., acquired controlling interest in United Transit Company.

In 1972, federal, state and local funds were used to purchase the assets of the Virginia Transit Company, and a new public service company was set up, GRTC, which was wholly owned by the City of Richmond. A one-half interest was later purchased by Chesterfield County in the late 1980s. Henrico County declined to purchase a portion at that time.

Management history

Immediately after GRTC was formed, American Transportation Enterprises, Inc., through a subsidiary, continued to provide management.

Routes

Most routes converge on downtown Richmond near Richmond City Hall and the VCU Medical Campus on Broad Street with the exception of routes 18, 91, 93 and 101. Although Chesterfield County is a part owner of GRTC and the county is largely urbanized, there is no public transportation in Chesterfield aside from the Brandermill express run and the two routes (Midlothian Turnpike and Jefferson Davis Highway) that travel roughly half a mile over the city line and then turn back into the city of Richmond. Service in Henrico County is also very limited, with very little bus service in the northern part of the county, and none in the Varina area or Short Pump.

Route No. Name Start End Map
01 Monument Libbie Mill Transfer Plaza 01
02 Patterson Regency Square Transfer Plaza 02
03 Robinson–Meadow Maymont Transfer Plaza 03
04 Robinson–Belmont Stadium Transfer Plaza 04
06 Broad[A] Transfer Plaza Willow Lawn 06
07 Seven Pines Transfer Plaza Seven Pines (Sandston) 07
10 Riverview Transfer Plaza Randolph 10
11 Oliver Hill–17th Street Transfer Plaza Mosby Court 11
16 Grove University of Richmond Transfer Plaza 16
18 Henrico Government Center Willow Lawn Henrico Government Center 18
19 Pemberton Pemberton Road Transfer Plaza 19
21 Brook Transfer Plaza Bellevue 21
26x Parham Express Parham Road (Henrico) Downtown 26x
27x Glenside Express Dumbarton Downtown 27x
28x White Oak Express White Oak Village (Highland Springs) Downtown 28x
29x Gaskins Express Gaskins Road (Innsbrook) Downtown 29x
32 Ginter Park Ginter Park Transfer Plaza 32
34 Highland Park Transfer Plaza Richmond International Raceway 34
37 Chamberlayne Transfer Plaza Laburnum Park 37
41 Oakwood/R-Church Hill Transfer Plaza Chimborazo Park 41
43 Whitcomb-Fairmount Transfer Plaza Whitcomb Court 43
44 Fairfield-Fairmount Transfer Plaza Fairfield Court 44
45 Jefferson Transfer Plaza Woodville 45
51 Briel Street-Church Hill Transfer Plaza Libby Hill 51
52 Montrose Heights Transfer Plaza Montrose Heights 52
53 Darbytown Transfer Plaza Fulton Hill 53
56 South Laburnum Downtown Richmond International Airport 56
60 Hull Street Transfer Plaza Chippenham Mall 60
61 Midlothian Transfer Plaza Forest Hill 61
62 Hull Street Transfer Plaza Southwood 62
63 Midlothian Transfer Plaza Chippenham Square 63
64x Stony Point Express Stony Point Downtown 64x
66x Spring Rock Green Express Beaufont Downtown 66x
68 Broad Rock Transfer Plaza Walmsley 68
70 Forest Hill Stony Point Transfer Plaza 70
71 Forest Hill Beaufont Transfer Plaza 71
72 Ruffin Road Transfer Plaza Bensley 72
73 Ampthill Transfer Plaza Castle Heights 73
74 Oak Grove Transfer Plaza Windsor 74
82x Commonwealth 20–Swift Creek Express Matoaca Downtown 82
91 Laburnum Connector Willow Lawn Montrose 91
93 Azalea Connector Azalea Shopping Center Pine Camp 93
95x Richmond–Petersburg Express Downtown Petersburg Transit Center 95x
101 Southside Plaza–Belt Boulevard Connector Westover Hills McGuire Woods 101
102x Kings Dominion Express Southside Plaza Kings Dominion 102x
A ^ : Line 06 will be replaced by the GRTC Pulse in 2017.

Color-coded, Express, and Park-and-Ride

There are five color routes that serve various neighborhoods of Richmond.

Express buses, complementing the Color-coded routes, run from downtown to various points with few or no stops. They are:

Park-and-ride buses have parking lots for commuters. GRTC Park-and-Ride Service is provided for:

Paratransit service

GRTC's paratransit service in Richmond and Henrico County is provided by the CARE service, which is operated under contract by MV Transportation

Facilities

The GRTC bus garage, is near the intersection of Belt Boulevard and Midlothian Turnpike in South Richmond.

See also

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