Regional Transit Authority wants feedback on future transportation funding strategy

One of the functions of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission is to conduct studies of transit. In 2008, they convened a joint meeting of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors and City Council to lay the foundation for creation of a Regional Transit Authority.

“During this work session, decision makers are expected to reach a joint consensus on the desired governance structure, range of revenue options to further investigate and draft legislation for, and begin to explore interim steps to take between now and the establishment of an RTA,” reads the agenda for that February 11, 2008 meeting.

The General Assembly granted enabling authority to allow the authority to be created but declined to grant the community the ability to hold a referendum on a one percent sales tax increase to fund increased operations.

Flash forward to 2026 and the Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Transit Authority is in its second year of existence underneath the TJPDC footprint. The agency was formed in 2025 and is charged with finding revenue to implement a Regional Transit Vision finalized in November 2022. (view the Regional Transit Vision here)

The Regional Transit Vision produced a list of potential routes that could boost ridership, a list intended to direct initial searches for funding. The TJPDC has hired the firm RK&K to prioritize that list and both are seeking feedback from the public.

“The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission is in the process of developing an implementation plan for funding regional transit services and is requesting community input to better understand residents’ perceptions toward current and potential transportation options, which will help identify priorities to improve programs and services for area residents,” reads the introduction.

The relatively-new Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Transit Authority’s Board of Directors will meet at 5 p.m. at 407 Water Street in Charlottesville. The Board consists of two City Councilors and two Albemarle Supervisors. The TJPDC now staffs CARTA and CARTA plays no role in the operations of any of the area’s transit agencies. (meeting packet)

The CARTA Board got an update on the implementation study in May at which a commuter route from Buckingham County through southern Albemarle placed at the top of the list.

What’s in the update? We’ll see at the meeting, but if you can’t wait, you can jump to the presentation in the packet. This is not the final study.

While the planning continues, there are also political realities under which existing transit functions.

The budgets adopted by both the Albemarle Board of Supervisors and the City of Charlottesville reflect increased spending on Charlottesville Area Transit to allow the city-owned agency to hire more drivers.

Hiring more drivers is key to implementing a transit strategic plan that would increase headways and eventually restore Sunday service for the first time since the pandemic. City Council got a briefing on the costs of doing so last December if you want to learn more.

Also on the CARTA is an update on the new Tidewater Current bus route and a review of how transit operates in Chapel Hill.

There will also be a further discussion on a study has commissioned on what aspects of the Regional Transit Vision plan should be prioritized. The firm RK&K has been working with TJPDC staff this year and

The CARTA meeting will conclude with a roundtable where CAT, Jaunt, and University Transit Service will provide updates. This would be a good time for the elected officials to ask for a progress report on hiring those drivers.

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