Hampton Roads Transit

A Hampton Roads Transit bus travels northbound on Pacific Avenue in Virginia Beach.

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) formed in October 1999 by the merging of PENTRAN (Peninsula Transportation District Commission) on the Virginia Peninsula and TRT (Tidewater Regional Transit also known as the Tidewater Transit District Commission) in South Hampton Roads.

Hampton Roads Transit (also known as the Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads) currently serves over 22 million annual passengers in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area.

HRT currently serves 1.2 million people within its 369 square mile service area. Its service area consists of eight cities: Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, the town of Smithfield and the city of Williamsburg (Colonial Williamsburg). Service to downtown Suffolk is handled by the city of Suffolk, which subleases buses from HRT. HRT directly runs the trolley route from Tidewater Community College. Portsmouth mayor James W. Holley, III is the current chairman.

Timeline

Year	Activity	Cities served
1944	The Virginia Transit Company begins operating rubber-wheeled bus service in Hampton Roads.	Norfolk, VA
1945	The Citizens Rapid Transit Company begins operating rubber-wheeled bus service on the Virginia Peninsula, thus ending an era of streetcar service in Hampton Roads.	Newport News, VA and Hampton, VA
January 1973	Tidewater Regional Transit (TRT) service begins, with the creation of the Tidewater Transportation District Commission (TTDC); and acquires the Virginia Transit Company, Norfolk Division	TRT service begins in Norfolk and Virginia Beach
January 1974	Peninsula Transportation District Commission (PTDC) created
April 1975	PENTRAN service begins, as the PTDC acquires the Citizens Rapid Transit Company	PENTRAN service begins in Newport News and Hampton
May 1975	The TTDC acquires the Community Motor Bus Company of Portsmouth	TTDC expands, with TRT service to Portsmouth, VA
1977	James City County Transit begins service within Colonial Williamsburg and James City County, Virginia	Williamsburg, VA not yet served by PENTRAN, nor TRT until 2004.
late-1970s/early-1980s	Service expansion to Chesapeake, VA, including communities such as South Norfolk, Great Bridge, Western Branch, Deep Creek and to the newly-opened Greenbrier Mall	Chesapeake, VA
early-1990s	Service expansion to Suffolk, VA, exclusively to Tidewater Community College and downtown Suffolk	Suffolk, VA
1997	Crossroads service begins, linking the Virginia Peninsula cities with South Hampton Roads with local bus service for the first time in the region
October 1st, 1999	TRT merges with PENTRAN and forms Hampton Roads Transit (HRT).	HRT begins with bus service already existing in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, and Suffolk.

Bus fleet

• Gillig Phantom
• Gillig Advantage
• Optima Opus
• Orion V

Primary Services

HRT operates 47 local fixed route and five express bus routes in the region.

Other Services

Handi-Ride

Handi-Ride is HRT's ADA Paratransit service. Fare is $3.00. Certification and reservations are required.

TRAFFIX

TRAFFIX is a service provided by Hampton Roads Transit. It encourages citizens throughout Hampton Roads to use alternative forms of transportation that reduces SOV. TRAFFIX oversees and promotes regional commuter initiatives, including carpooling and telecommuting, by reaching out to area employers. Some of its key clients include the U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman, Wal-mart, and Canon. To date, TRAFFIX has removed nearly 800 vehicles off the road and has saved consumers over 600,000 gallons of gas and over $1.8 million in vehicle related expenses. For more information, visit www.traffixonline.org

Ferry service

HRT's Paddlewheel Ferry is a system of three 150-passenger paddle-wheel ferry boats, one of which is the world's first natural gas-powered pedestrian ferry. The Ferry travels between North Landing and High Street in Portsmouth and Downtown Norfolk at The Waterside.

The Ferry operates every 30 minutes, with 15-minute service at peak times on weekends. The Ferry is wheelchair accessible and allows boarding passengers to board with their bicycles. The general cost to board the ferry is $1.00, and 50 cents for seniors and disabled persons.

The ferry connects with buses at County & Court in Portsmouth using the Portsmouth Ferry Shuttle (formerly the Portsmouth Park & Sail).

Portsmouth Ferry Shuttle

A free shuttle runs from the Park and Ride next to the Downtown Tunnel to the High St ferry landing and the County & Court St bus transfer area in Portsmouth. This service is formerly known as the Park & Sail. The route is still labeled Route 49.

Norfolk Electric Transit

Norfolk Electric Transit or NET is the complimentary downtown bus service provided by the City of Norfolk and operated by Hampton Roads Transit. Service, using small battery powered electric buses [1], connects the park and ride lots with the major employment sites downtown.

Virginia Beach Wave

The VB Wave runs through the main areas of Virginia Beach.

Route 30 Atlantic Ave (May 1-October 2 8am-2am, About every 15 minutes) which serves all the stops along the Atlantic Avenue boardwalk, This includes the Old Coast Station, the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier, plus the north beaches HRT transfer.

Route 31 Museum Express (Daily, Memorial Day-Labor Day 8am-2am, About every 15 minutes) Serves the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, Ocean Breeze Waterpark, Owl Creek Tennis Court, Holiday Trav-L-Park Campground, and KOA Campground.

Route 32 Shoppers Express (Daily, Memorial Day-Labor Day 10am-9pm, About every hour) Serves the Shops at Hilltop, and ends at Lynnhaven Mall.

VB Wave Service Fares: Adults/Children $1.00 Child (under 38" tall) Free Seniors, persons with disabilities and Medicare card holders $0.50 Farecard holders for regular bus routes: Officially, VB Wave does not accept the standard farecards, however many drivers will honor the pass.

HRT Expressways

Hampton Roads Transit operates several cross-regional express routes known as HRT Expressways.

These currently consist of:
Route 19 - Naval Station Norfolk/Silverleaf
Route 22 - Naval Station Norfolk/Greenbriar/Indian River P&R Lot
Route 61 - (Crossroads) - from Magnolia Park & Ride in Suffolk or Chesapeake Square Mall in Chesapeake, through Newport News, Hampton, Northrop Grumman, with some buses ending in Downtown Norfolk, and others running to Pembroke East in Virginia Beach.
Route 63 - To Naval Station Norfolk
Route 64 - To Smithfield/Gwaltney and Northrop Grumman
Route 121 - To Shipyard, Ft. Eustis, Colonial Williamsburg

Projects under development

The Tide

Main article: The Tide

The Tide, Norfolk's Light Rail System, is scheduled to run from Eastern Virginia Medical School through Downtown Norfolk to Newtown Rd (near Sentara Leigh Memorial Hospital). Groundbreaking is December 8th, 2007 [2] with primary construction is expected to begin in early 2008 and be fully operational by early 2010. For more information on The Tide, please visit The Tide website.

Peninsula Rapid Transit Project

In conjunction with the cities of Hampton and Newport News, HRT is looking at three lines:

• A1: Downtown Newport News to Fort Eustis running along U.S. Route 60 (Warwick Boulevard)
• A2: Downtown Newport News to Hampton Coliseum
• A3: Mariners' Museum to Mary Immaculate Hospital via State Route 143 (Jefferson Avenue)

See Peninsula Rapid Transit Project Newsletter (January 2005).

HRT Metro Area Express Service

Hampton Roads Transit is looking into a new express service called Metro Area Express (or MAX) [3] beginning in Spring 2008. The new express buses will have a unique appearance to distinguish them from the rest of the HRT fleet and will provide customers with Wi-Fi access. Routes are currently being developed in preparations for an Spring 2008 launch date. Currently, routes are planned to run from 5 AM to 9 PM on Weekdays. [4]

External links

• Hampton Roads Transit
• The Tide
• www.traffixonline.org/TRAFFIX
• The Schumin Web Transit Center: Hampton Roads