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Greater Richmond Transit Company facts for kids

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GRTC
logo
image
GRTC bus operating along the GRTC Pulse bus rapid transit line
Founded 1860
Headquarters 301 East Belt Boulevard
Locale Richmond, Virginia
Service area Richmond, Virginia
Service type bus service, paratransit
Alliance Petersburg Area Transit
Routes 34 local routes
4 express routes
1 rapid transit line
Fleet 253 buses & vans
Daily ridership 29,600 (weekdays, Q1 2023)
Fuel type Diesel and CNG
Operator National Express (CARE Vans only)
Chief executive Sheryl Adams

The Greater Richmond Transit Company, known locally as GRTC, is a local government-owned public service company which operates an urban-suburban bus line based in Richmond, Virginia. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 8,739,400, or about 29,600 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2023.

GRTC primarily serves the independent city of Richmond and a very small portion of the adjacent counties of Henrico, Hanover, and Chesterfield with a fleet of over 157 diesel-powered and CNG-powered transit buses operating approximately 45 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.

Ownership and management

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

Immediately after GRTC was formed in 1973, American Transportation Enterprises, Inc., through a subsidiary, continued to provide management. It was managed by a private transit management company that provided the CEO, COO, and Transportation Manager, as was its predecessor, Virginia Transit Company (VTC).

GRTC itself has about 500 employees including bus operators, repair shop mechanics, customer service, support, and other administrative staff.

Fleet

Builder and
model name
Model year Length Numbers
(Total)
Amount in service Energy source Notes
Motor Coach Industries
D4500CT
2011 45 ft (14 m) 1504–1508
(5 buses)
5 Diesel
Gillig
BRT
2012 40 ft (12 m) 401-408
(8 buses)
8
  • Last diesel buses for GRTC
Gillig
BRT CNG
2013 201-208
(8 buses)
8 CNG
  • First CNG buses for GRTC
2014 119

250-259 261

263-270

362
501-508
(29 buses)

29
  • 506 is wrapped in Westminster Canterbury
35 ft (11 m) 701-705
(5 buses)
5
2016–17 40 ft (12 m) 2001–2013
(13 buses)
12
  • Used for the Pulse Bus Rapid Transit line
  • 2001 is a 2016 model
  • 2002–2013 are 2017 models
  • 2004 was destroyed by rioters on May 29, 2020.
  • Gillig Low Floor BRTPlus Design
2017 2101-2110
(10 buses)
10
35 ft (11 m) 2121 – 2124
(4 buses)
4
29 ft (8.8 m) 2131-2134
(4 buses)
4 •Used on low ridership routes: 18, 20, 93
2018 40 ft (12 m) 2201-2217
(17 buses)
17
29 ft (8.8 m) 2231 – 2236
(6 buses)
6 •Used on low ridership routes: 18, 20, 93
2021 40 ft (12 m) 2014
(1 bus)
1
  • Used for the Pulse Bus Rapid Transit Line
  • 2014 is a replacement for 2004 which was destroyed by rioters on May 29, 2020.
  • Gillig Low Floor BRTPlus Design
40 ft (12 m) 2300 – 2313
(13 buses)
13
2022 40 ft (12 m) 2314-2319
(6 buses)
6
2023 29 ft (8.8 m) 2401-2410
(10 buses)
10
2024 40 ft (12 m) 2320-2333
(14 buses)
14
35 ft (11 m) 2411-2415
(5 buses)
5

142 transit vehicles, 96 CARE vehicles, and 27 support vehicles (vans, wreckers, trucks, SUVs, etc)
95 fixed-route transit vehicles use CNG fuel
88 CARE vehicles use CNG fuel

In June 2020, the GRTC Board of Directors approved to purchase a replacement bus for #2004 that was destroyed during the riots. The bus should be placed into service on the GRTC Pulse route sometime in January 2021. This bus will be a 40 ft Gillig Low Floor CNG BRTPlus model.

In August 2020, the GRTC Board of Directors approved the purchase of 29 buses to replace older buses to keep the fleet in a state of good repair, as well as to keep up with demand increases in the Richmond Area. All 29 of these buses will be 40 ft Gillig Low Floor CNG BRT model. 14 of the buses will be put into service in the 1st Quarter of FY2022, and the last 15 will enter service in the 3rd Quarter of FY2022.

Routes

Route No. Name Start End Map/Schedule Notes
Pulse GRTC Pulse Willow Lawn Rocketts Landing Pulse
1 Chamberlayne/Downtown Chamberlayne Downtown Transfer Plaza 1
1A Hull/Midlothian via Southside Plaza Spring Rock Green Downtown Transfer Plaza 1A
1B Hull/Warwick via Southside Plaza Giant Drive Downtown Transfer Plaza 1B NO EVENING OR SUNDAY SERVICE
1C Hull/Elkhardt via Southside Plaza Chippenham Mall Downtown Transfer Plaza 1C
2A Forest Hill/North Ave Moss Side Stony Point Medical Center 2A
2B North Ave/Jahnke/Midlothian Moss Side Chippenham Square 2B
2C North Ave/Midlothian/Belt Blvd Moss Side Circle Shopping Center 2C
3A Highland Park/U.S. 1/Harwood Highland Park Lone & Harwood 3A NO EVENING OR SUNDAY SERVICE
3B Highland/Route 1 Highland Park Brightpoint Community College 3B NO EVENING OR SUNDAY SERVICE
3C Highland Park/Harwood/U.S. 1 Highland Park Food Lion – Ampthill 3C NIGHTS AND SUNDAY ONLY
4A Montrose 23rd & Franklin Rawlings & Government 4A
4B Darbytown 23rd & Franklin Henrico Arms Place 4B
5 Cary/Main/Whitcomb Carytown Whitcomb Court 5
7A Nine Mile/Airport Downtown Transfer Plaza Richmond International Airport 7A
7B Nine Mile/Laburnum/Airport Downtown Transfer Plaza Richmond International Airport 7B
12 Church Hill 23rd & Franklin Downtown Transfer Plaza 12
14 Hermitage/East Main Chamberlayne 23rd & Franklin 14 Route 14 serves the Transfer Plaza (Bay H) in Downtown Richmond on Weekdays and Saturday after 7:00 PM, and all day on Sunday.
18 Henrico Government Center Willow Lawn Henrico County Government Center 18 NO WEEKEND SERVICE - Route 18 serves the Staples Mill Road Amtrak Station
19 West Broad Street Willow Lawn Short Pump 19
20 Orbital Prince Hall Highland Park 20
29x Gaskins Express Gaskins Park-N-Ride Downtown 29x NO WEEKEND SERVICE
50 Broad Street Willow Lawn Downtown 50 NO EVENING SERVICE
56 South Laburnum White Oak Village Downtown 56 NO WEEKEND SERVICE
64x Stony Point Express Stony Point Shopping Center Downtown 64x NO WEEKEND SERVICE
76 Patterson Willow Lawn DMV Drive 76
77 Grove University of Richmond Main & Laurel 77
78 Cary/Maymont Carytown Downtown 78
79 Patterson/Parham Willow Lawn Gayton Crossing Shopping Center 79 NO WEEKEND SERVICE
82x Commonwealth 20 Express Commonwealth 20 Downtown 82x NO WEEKEND SERVICE
86 Broad Rock/Walmsley Southside Plaza Banton/Dupont 86
87 Bellemeade/Hopkins Southside Plaza Downtown 87
88 Belt/Bells/Ruffin Southside Plaza Maxxim Medical 88 NO SUNDAY SERVICE
91 Laburnum Connector Willow Lawn Millers Lane 91
93 Azalea Connector Brook Treehouse Apartments 93 NO WEEKEND SERVICE
95x Petersburg Express Downtown Petersburg, Virginia (Petersburg Transit Center) 95x NO WEEKEND SERVICE

GRTC offers Park-N-Ride lots that run along express service routes to downtown Richmond.

  • Glenside/Parham Express - 23x - (Glenside lot) 4100 Glenside Drive, Henrico, VA 23228; (Parham lot) 8525 Fordson Rd, Henrico, VA, 23229 - TEMPORARILY DISCONTINUED EFFECTIVE SEPT 12, 2021. USE 29X!
  • Parham Express - 26x - 8525 Fordson Rd, Henrico, VA, 23229 - TEMPORARILY DISCONTINUED EFFECTIVE SEPT 12, 2021. USE 29X!
  • Glenside Express - 27x - 4100 Glenside Drive, Henrico, VA 23228 - TEMPORARILY DISCONTINUED EFFECTIVE SEPT 12, 2021. USE 29X!
  • White Oak Village Park ’N Ride - 28x - 4521- 4571 S Laburnum Ave, Richmond, VA 23231 - TEMPORARILY DISCONTINUED. USE ROUTE 7A/B!
  • Gaskins Express - 29x - 2900 Gaskins Rd, Henrico, VA, 23233
  • Bon Air Baptist Church Park-N-Ride - 64x - 2531 Buford Rd, Richmond, VA 23235
  • Commonwealth 20 - 82x - 4600 Commonwealth Centre Pkwy, Midlothian, VA 23112
  • Petersburg Transit Center Park-N-Ride - 95x - 24 S Union St, Petersburg, VA, 23803
  • Kings Dominion (Seasonal) - 102x - Ashland lot 109-121 Junction Drive, Ashland, VA, 23005 - TEMPORARILY DISCONTINUED.

Paratransit service

GRTC Transit System’s CARE and CARE Plus services provide origin-to-destination service under the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for the citizens of the Richmond Region. CARE and CARE Plus provide public transportation access to individuals with disabilities who may not be reasonably able to use GRTC fixed route bus service. All CARE trips are identified as either CARE or CARE Plus service. CARE and CARE Plus services are available in the City of Richmond, Henrico County, and portions of Chesterfield County.

Facilities

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

See also

  • GRTC Pulse
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