Hampton Roads Transit Bus in Virginia Beach
McKenna Howenstine|Marlin Chronicle
Hampton Roads Transit OnDemand began operating July 10 in select areas of Newport News and Virginia Beach, offering residents an easy and affordable way to get around town. This service allows customers within designated service zones to request a shared ride using a smartphone app.
Due to the increasing demands for transportation methods that are flexible and convenient, there has been an introduction of on-demand rideshare services into several cities in the United States over the past few years.
Virginia Beach has similarly joined this endeavor, introducing its version of an on-demand rideshare service to improved people’s mobility, for both local citizens and tourists alike.
Ridesharing is a mode of transportation whereby customers can request one-way, point-to-point rides via a mobile app or calling a telephone number.
Services include Uber and Lyft. The model is much more flexible compared to the traditional kinds of public transport, since the riders travel directly from their address to their destination without necessarily following fixed routes or schedules.
Hampton Roads Transit Bus in Virginia Beach
McKenna Howenstine|Marlin Chronicle
“This program marks a major step forward for Hampton Roads Transit,” said William E. Harrell, President and CEO of HRT. “On-demand service represents our vision of how transit can respond to market forces to provide the public with innovative and reliable options for travel.”
HRT OnDemand is provided through a grant by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, along with the Cities of Newport News and Virginia Beach.
The program is powered by technology by Via, the global leader in TransitTech. Via builds innovative software that enables cities, transit agencies, transport operators, school districts, universities, and corporations to transform legacy transportation systems into advanced digital networks.
This is an on-demand, high-capacity vehicle service operated by Hampton Roads Transit-or HRT-in Virginia Beach, under the name “HRT OnDemand.”
This officially launched on 14 October 2023 after a successful pilot from July 2022 to February 2023, during which morethan 13,000 rides were requested. Clearly, there had been a strong interest and satisfaction among its users during the pilot phase.
According to ridewithvia.com, “Via is thrilled to deepen our relationship with Hampton Roads Transit to bring flexible, tech-enabled public mobility to the Newport News and Virginia Beach communities,” said Dillon Twombly, Chief Revenue Officer at Via. “We look forward to seeing how HRT OnDemand extends the reach of the area’s existing transit options and makes it easier to access opportunities without needing to rely on a private car.”
When we sat down with Dr. Keith Moore who works here at Virginia Wesleyan talked about how it is very convenient for students/citizens to use this to their advantage. Moore states “I think it would be good for them, for people who are without vehicles, for people who do have some children that are high school age that need to get from point A to point B.”
He also goes into detail on how this is great for the students on campus who don’t have access to a vehicle Moore says, “Of course for our international students here on campus who might not have a car they can use this for travel.”
Moore was very happy with the area that this covers, he states “ our campus being right there in the middle of pretty neat…I think we are very fortunate that we are in the middle”
The HRT OnDemand service is targeted to provide services within a 15-square-mile zone in northwest Virginia Beach. It encompasses many neighborhoods and key points, including shopping centers, hospitals, universities, and recreational facilities. Trips are reservable using the HRT OnDemand mobile app or by calling a dedicated phone line.
The OnDemand mobile app will be operating from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Some of its fantastic features include affordability: all rides are free for the first two weeks after launching, and after that, fares are only $2.00 per person per ride. Additionally, some groups can ride for free at any time, including qualified paratransit riders and Student Freedom Pass, which is a program available to students from age 13 to 17, holders.
According to On Demand’s website, in continued effort to improve transit within the region, HRT has received additional grant funding for the expansion of microtransit projects in both Virginia Beach and Newport News.
By Brady King
bpking@vwu.edu
