Could on-demand rideshares replace the bus? Hampton Roads Transit explores other options

The Route 22 bus, which runs along Shore Drive and Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach, has barely enough daily riders to warrant a bus, Ray Amoruso, Hampton Roads Transit chief planning and development officer, told the City Council last week.

“Is there a better way to spend the money?” Amoruso asked.

Microtransit could be the answer, he said, but more research needs to be done.

Hampton Roads Transit tested a rideshare option last year in Virginia Beach and Newport News that officials say could eventually replace bus service in northwest Virginia Beach and be used in other areas of the region where there’s a dearth in public transportation.

Microtransit is a transportation option that uses smaller vehicles like a mini-van to move people from one point to another. Rides are shared and can be reserved through an app or a phone call. Passengers met the vehicle at a particular place and time with other people who had a similar destination. The cost was $2 per person for a ride. New York City-based Via operated the small vans and provided the app.

The goal was to determine if microtransit, which is also referred to as demand-responsive service, will improve mobility in a cost-effective manner, and if HRT can facilitate it throughout Hampton Roads, Amoruso said.

The microtransit pilot program lasted for six months with six vehicles used in Virginia Beach and five in Newport News, including wheelchair accessible vans. HRT moved just under 10,000 riders in Virginia Beach and about twice as many in Newport News.

Another microtransit pilot program is planned for next spring. HRT wants to promote it more widely and collect more data to determine if it’s financially sustainable.

Data from the first test round shows high-demand areas for transportation. In Newport News, residents who live in small “cul-de-sac communities,” west of Warwick Boulevard, for example, where HRT’s fixed route bus service isn’t offered, used microtransit to connect to commercial areas. Destinations included Patrick Henry Mall, medical appointments and the shipyard, Amoruso said.

“It could bring new people who never considered transit before,” he said.

In Virginia Beach, the pilot program zone ran along Shore Drive from Fort Story to the Bayside Recreation Center and on to the Pembroke area. It also extended to Newtown Road and Virginia Wesleyan University.

Half of the passengers in Virginia Beach used the pilot program to get to another HRT service stop. The Newtown Road light rail station, where passengers can ride The Tide to Norfolk, was the most frequented, according to HRT. Town Center was another popular destination.

In 2016, in a ballot referendum, Virginia Beach voters were against using local funds to extend light rail to Town Center.

Elsewhere in Virginia, microtransit options have been used to add service where no mass transit options exist and to replace underused routes.

In the Prince William County area of Northern Virginia, public transportation agency OmniRide recently began using microtransit. It has replaced an underused bus route in Manassas Park and provides an option where bus service didn’t exist in the town of Quantico.

“It’s definitely something that’s here to stay,” said Joe Stainsby, OmniRide’s chief development officer.

But he doesn’t believe buses will be completely cast aside in favor of rideshares.

“There’s a point of utilization of microtransit where if it becomes so popular, you’re better putting in a fixed route,” he said.

Stainsby noted that one of the benefits of microtransit is the flexibility in hiring drivers. A commercial driver’s license is required to operate a bus, and bus driver shortages are plaguing many communities.

HRT received a $1.6 million state grant for its microtransit pilot program. Virginia Beach and Newport News each provided a 20% match to participate.

Amoruso said more time is needed to get the word out about the next pilot program, but he expects microtransit in the future could complement, not replace, bus service in Hampton Roads.

Low density areas of Hampton Roads including Salem and Pungo in Virginia Beach, Hickory in southern Chesapeake and neighborhoods in Hampton near NASA Langley Research Center could benefit from microtransit, he said.

Virginia Beach and Newport News will be invited to participate in a pilot program again next spring, with the state providing $3.5 million and each city contributing 20% to extend the program for 12 months, Amoruso said.

“It has been successful,” said Councilwoman Amelia Ross-Hammond, who is chair of the Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads, which works to provide reliable and efficient transportation services and facilities in the region. “We’re moving forward and expanding.”

Virginia Beach is providing $8.6 million for HRT services in the city this fiscal year. The city also recently reinvested in another microtransit program, providing $1.2 million to Freebee, which offers free rides at the Oceanfront.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com