GRTC to discontinue one Henrico route, alter service to others

GRTC will discontinue one Henrico bus route and alter service to others, in light of ridership changes due to COVID-19, the company announced today. The changes will take effect Sunday, April 26.

The Route 75 Three Chopt Road will be discontinued until further notice; customers should use Route 77 to connect between Willow Lawn and the West End.

Routes 4A (Montrose) and 4B (Darbytown) will be adjusted to stop every 30 minutes during peak morning and evening hours, instead of every 15 minutes. The result will be 30-minute service all day during regular service hours.

In other changes, Route 39 (Fairmount/Oakwood) will be discontinued until further notice, with Routes 12 and 7A/7B recommended as alternatives. Route 78 Cary/Maymont also will change from every 30 minutes to every hour during peak times in the morning, resulting in service every 30 minutes until the evening peak, when 30-minute service will continue.

GRTC ridership on core local routes continues to be very high, GRTC officials said, with passenger loads frequently exceeding 20 or 30 passengers per bus. Officials will add more buses to the busiest routes – 1A, 2A/B/C and 3B/C. Passengers may be asked to board a bus tailing the normal bus in service to provide better social distancing on-board, officials said.

“We had a successful transition last week with re-deploying express resources to local routes, and we know continuing this effort will encourage physical distance for our passengers needing to ride, as well as make better use of our staff and vehicles during COVID-19,” GRTC Chief Executive Officer Julie Timm said. “Even though we are placing more local buses in service, we stress that customers should only ride for essential needs like getting to jobs, food or critical resources.”

Passengers are asked to leave a seat empty beside them and observe social distancing as much as possible while riding. They’re also being encouraged to follow CDC guidelines and wear face masks or coverings when in public. GRTC previously suspended fare collection March 19 and implemented rear door boarding, except for passengers needing operator assistance at the front door.

For details, visit ridegrtc.com.