Virginia Breeze bus service ridership up in past year

STAUNTON — Since its inception in 2017, the Virginia Breeze intercity bus has provided transportation between rural communities to a national bus network.

The bus route is still recovering from COVID. The four separate routes are all increasing in ridership, with the route that stops in Staunton being the busiest.

"The Virginia Breeze connects people from rural areas and areas where there is a lack of transportation services to an expanded transportation network," said Amy Friedenberger, DRPT external affairs specialist. "The Virginia Breeze won’t take a passenger all the way to New York City, but a passenger could travel to Washington, D.C., and board another form of transportation — like Amtrak, plane or another bus service — there to travel farther up the East Coast."

Managed by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), the bus provides routes from Washington, D.C. to several different points in Virginia. The service, which ranges from $15 to $60, aims to get more cars off the road in order to make infrastructure and safety improvements to Interstate 81, a release said.

Since starting with the Valley Flyer, which runs from Blacksburg to D.C., the service has added three other routes.

“The Virginia Breeze opens the doors for people who don’t have cars or don’t drive, who have limited means, to connect to other parts of Virginia and beyond,” said Jennifer DeBruhl, director of DRPT, in a release. “Intercity bus services are essential transportation infrastructure because they operate in areas that lack transportation options for Virginians.”

The Breeze has four routes:

• Valley Flyer — Launched December 2017 — Runs between Blacksburg and D.C.

• Piedmont Express — Launched August 2020 — Runs between Danville and D.C.

• Capital Connector — Launched August 2020 — Runs between Martinsville, through Richmond, and D.C.

• Highlands Rhythm — Launched November 2021 — Runs between Bristol and D.C.

DRPT manages the service, and Dillon’s Bus Service operates it, providing vehicles, drivers, maintenance and ticketing systems.

DRPT launched the Virginia Breeze in 2017 following a 2013 study. The agency did another study in 2019.

Funded through the Federal Transit Administration's Intercity Bus Program, the Virginia Breeze receives funding through the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program — specifically with the Highlands Rhythm line. The Interstate 81 funding offsets a portion of the Highlands Rhythm operating costs and will fund improvements at some stop locations, the release said.

Ridership is still rebounding after COVID. Overall ridership on the Virginia Breeze is up 52% from June 2021 to June 2022. In 2021, the Virginia Breeze had a ridership of 27,609 passengers. The average percent farebox recovery was 29%, a release said.

The Valley Flyer has returned to ridership levels that were seen prior to COVID. The service shut down from April 5 through July 24, 2020.

"The COVID-19 pandemic hit the intercity bus service hard. Ridership plunged, and the Virginia Breeze halted service for four months in 2020," Friedenberger said. "Over the last year, the Virginia Breeze saw ridership rebound to levels seen prior to the pandemic. All of the routes posted record ridership in 2022. DRPT launched a fourth route, the Highlands Rhythm, in Western Virginia in fall 2022 with strong interest from residents. Residents’ return to the Virginia Breeze shows how important the service is to rural Virginians who need to travel around the Commonwealth. The Virginia Breeze has demonstrated its value in offering a mode of transportation for people to reforge connections to the Commonwealth after two years of pandemic isolation."

The Valley Flyer has a projected annual ridership when it launched in 2017 — 14,256 passengers. In 2021, the annual ridership was 18,230. In October 2021, the Valley Flyer had the highest monthly ridership to day with 2,973 passengers, the release said.

In 2017, the Valley Flyer had a total ridership was 1,022 passengers. That grew to 20,686 passengers in 2018, then 29,855 passengers in 2019. That dropped in 2020 to 11,271 passengers, but went up drastically in 2021 to 18,230 passengers.

As of now, 2022 has seen 10,715 passengers on the Valley Flyer — with total ridership on the Virginia Breeze at 20,938.

Other takeaways from the Valley Flyer include:

• Ridership for first half (January to June) of 2022 (10,715) is nearly double the ridership for first half of 2021 (6,052).

• The Valley Flyer has surpassed expectations on every level, from on-time performance, total ridership, and operating costs expenses being met by passenger fares.

• The Valley Flyer and the Highlands Rhythm play an important role in reducing congestion on the crowded Interstate 81.

• Blacksburg and Harrisonburg are the most popular southbound destinations. The most popular northbound stops are those near Washington, D.C.

The bus features a modern 56-passenger coach with free Wi-Fi, in-seat power outlets and other amenities, a release said. The Virginia Breeze will be operated in partnership with Dillon’s, a Coach USA company, which also owns Megabus. Virginia Breeze customers can purchase an interline ticket for Megabus destinations beyond Union Station, such as Philadelphia or New York.

Virginia Breeze marks the first time a state has partnered with Megabus to provide interline ticketing options in the country.

Other lines have also prospered this year. In May 2022, the Piedmont Express had its highest ridership since beginning service in August 2020, the release said. The Capital Connector also saw year-over-year growth. The Highlands Rhythm, which launched in November 2021, nearly doubled its monthly ridership in the spring.

To find out more or get tickets visit virginiabreeze.org.

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Laura Peters is the trending topics reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Or a good feature? You can reach reporter Laura Peters (she/her) at lpeters@newsleader.com. Follow her @peterslaura. Subscribe to The News Leader at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Virginia Breeze bus route with Staunton stop is the busiest in the state