GRTC planning shelters, benches at half of its bus stops

The Greater Richmond Transit Co. recently approved plans to build shelters or place benches in at least half of its bus stops in the Richmond area during the next five years.

Today, only 5% of GRTC stops have shelters, and although more (21%) have seating, less than half of those seats were installed before the American with Disabilities Act and are not compliant, according to the GRTC.

GRTC is planning to install at least 160 shelters and 225 benches starting next summer as a part of its Essential Transit Infrastructure plan. The plan details three scenarios based upon the available funding, with the most attainable goal placing shelters and benches in at least half of the stops.

The cost of the plans range from $11 million to $28.6 million and will be funded through a combination of local, state, and federal grants, according to GRTC officials. The number of additions to the bus stops will depend on how much grant funding can be raised, said GRTC Communications and Marketing Director Mike Frontiero.

Henrico County, which is now the largest governmental funder of the GRTC, gained three seats of representation on the company’s nine-seat board earlier this year. Richmond and Chesterfield – the two co-owners of the transit company – also have three seats apiece.

A scoring system will be used to determine which stops will receive improvements, according to the plan. Scores will be based upon ridership and equity. To determine which stops have the greatest need, officials will consider factors such as the number of routes serviced, proximity to public facilities, and census information.

“[The shelters] will definitely improve accessibility to many of our stops that are located in low-income areas,” Frontiero said.

The shelters will help protect riders from extreme weather conditions, including heatwaves, extreme cold, and heavy rainfall, said Jeremy Hoffman, the David and Jane Cohn Scientist at the Science Museum of Virginia. Lower-income communities, disproportionately composed of people of color, often live in the warmest areas of the city and rely on public transportation, Hoffman said.

With a coalition of partners, the Science Museum of Virginia has investigated Richmond’s heat disparities. Studies have found a 16-degree difference between the coolest and warmest places in Richmond during heat waves.

Since then, Hoffman and the Science Museum of Virginia have worked with RVA Rapid Transit to document the quality and efficiency of shade structures in shelters at busy GRTC stops, he said. To do this, they take thermal photos of these stops to look at the effect the given structure has on the bus stop.

“This investment in bus shelters increases the climate resilience of our transit system while also providing a more comfortable experience for riders,” Hoffman said.

Transportation is key to reducing carbon emissions, which Hoffman called a predominant cause of climate change. Better public transportation will help reduce the number of vehicles on the road, he said.

Some Henrico residents said they would find shelters at more GRTC stops helpful for periods of inclement weather.

A list of stops that already have shelters and benches, or are slated to receive them, can be found here. To request a shelter or bench at a stop, email planningcomment@ridegrtc.com, call 804-358-4782, or visit the GRTC website.