Charlottesville’s bus system seeks input on transit strategic plan 

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation requires transit systems in the Commonwealth to come up with a strategic plan to guide progress over the next ten years. Charlottesville Area Transit is going through the process now and input is being taken through May 31.

“This presents [Charlottesville Area Transit] with an opportunity to evaluate and update our services and network to respond to changes in our community,” reads the website for the transit strategic plan. 

This is the first such plan completed by CAT as a new process replaces an earlier one that required a transit development plan. The agency hired Kimley Horn to produce the new strategic plan.

Public input is being taken at a time when CAT is awaiting new drivers and buses to be able to begin to implement route changes that were tacitly approved by Council in May 2021. These are known to CAT as the “System Optimization Plan.” 

Now there’s an initial draft of the transit strategic plan out for public feedback through May 31.

To recap, CAT has been on “extended lifeline service” since the pandemic with no Sunday service. The draft strategic plan explains that the System Optimization Plan will be implemented in phases dependent on staff and funding.  

The first phase of short-term improvements would: 

• Split the current route 2 into two legs which would have the effect of bringing two-way service to Avon Street Extended and extend service to Mill Creek. The service would also pass by Monticello High School. 
• Route 11 would be realigned to stop at the Center at Belvedere. Bus service was originally a condition for capital support from City Council but the extension has been delayed. 
• Route 6 service along Prospect Avenue and Ridge Street is to be improved to two buses an hour to provide 30-minute service. It’s important to note this route’s connection to the University of Virginia hospital is slated to eventually be removed in phase 3 which could be many years away.
• Sunday service would be restored on the free trolley-style bus, Route 2A, and the version of Route 7 that goes by Route 12 

Take a look at page 8 of the draft plan for more details. Scroll down through the document to get a look at all of the system revisions that are planned. 

Some other elements in the plan:

• Fare-free service is expected to last until at least June 30, 2026. That’s when current grants will run out. Fun fact: The seventh story I wrote for Charlottesville Tomorrow in May 2007 was on the desire for fare-free service. (go read it)
• The strategic plan explains how the Regional Transit Vision Plan is implemented by what Charlottesville plans to do.
• A public survey conducted in the early days of the transit strategic plan only yielded 523 responses and the document states this is not enough for the results to have any statistical significance. I’ll note here I only found about this survey via a reddit post despite being a regular CAT rider, a reporter who covers transit, and a journalist who writes about meetings. A virtual presentation on the plan held last night was not listed one of the city’s meeting calendars nor is the one scheduled for May 21. The second city calendar does list the item here.
• The study lists Venable and Ivy Road as potential places for expansion and notes that these areas are exclusively covered by the University Transit System. Greenbrier is identified as an area with little potential for expansion due to the low residential density. 
• CAT’s operating expenses increased 24 percent from 2017 to 2021, partially driven by a 21.3 percent increase in pay for people who operate the vehicles. That’s before collective bargaining. 
• Ridership dropped 72 percent between 2017 and 2021. The pandemic began in 2020. 
• It costs $5.77 per rider to operate the trolley route. It costs $36.18 to operate Route 9. 
• Specifics on how each route will change can be found beginning on page 94. The additional costs for each change can be found beginning on page 124
• A chart on page 145 shows that CAT’s budget will have to increase from the current $15 million to just under around $37 million to implement all of the service improvements. Details are in a table on page 148 that shows a draft budget for the next ten years. 
• The appendix on page 156 states that there is Charlottesville Area Transit advisory board. However, the city’s website does not list such a body on its website. 

The plan also calls for an eventual replacement of the Downtown Transit Station, a site that is only accessible in one direction. 

“Capacity at the Downtown Transit Station is limited by the number of bus bays,” reads page 127.”Long-term investments in a new downtown transfer location or significant restructuring of operations so that layovers occur off-site will be required to fully implement TSP service recommendations.”

The station opened in 2008 and had a cost estimate of just over $6 million. The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau used to operate in the offices but vacated in September 2020 during the pandemic. 

Kimley Horn is also working with CAT on the feasibility study for the transition to zero-emissions vehicles. 

“Starting in FY 2027, CAT is no longer expected to purchase diesel buses,” reads page 137. “ZEBs will be solely implemented for replacement and expansion revenue vehicles beginning in FY 2029.”

The plan also states there will need to be capital funding to build infrastructure to handle whatever fuel alternative is eventually selected. 

“CAT will pilot two battery electric buses beginning in 2025, two additional battery electric buses beginning in 2026, and three hydrogen fuel cell buses beginning in 2028,” the study continues. “Charging and hydrogen fueling for these buses will take place at the current Main Administration, Maintenance and Operations Facility.

A delegation of Albemarle and Charlottesville officials will travel to Champaign-Urbana this week to see how the bus fleet there is experimenting with different fuel types. I’m heading out with them and will have more information in future editions of the newsletter. 

Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment is from the May 15, 2024 edition of the newsletter. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.