The press and public are invited to the Greater Lynchburg Transit Company’s kick-off and unveiling of the newest and most exciting service in Lynchburg, a new Downtown Circulator called “The Hopper”. The event will take place starting at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017 at Monument Terrace, downtown Lynchburg. The preliminary speakers for the kick-off include Brian Booth (GLTC general manager), Mayor Joan Foster, Shannon Valentine (Commonwealth Transportation Board), Aubrey Lane (secretary of Transportation) and Gary Christie (Region 2000).
At 1:00 p.m., Governor Terry McAuliffe will join the event as keynote speaker. After the Governor’s remarks and the unveiling of the bus, public officials and the press are invited to take the inaugural ride on “The Hopper” throughout downtown Lynchburg.
The Hopper is an entirely free, brand new bus service which will run throughout downtown Monday-Friday from 10:50 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. and on Saturdays from 6:50 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The new route consists of a highly frequent loop encompassing Church Street, Main Street, Commerce Street, and Jefferson Street which serves to move citizens throughout downtown with ease. It will increase access to restaurants, retail and help to provide more convenient parking options. GLTC is excited to provide this new service in conjunction with the ongoing revitalization of the downtown area. The Hopper includes a brand new state of the art bus with a unique brand and identity making it easy for visitors and residents alike to recognize. The purchase of the bus and operating funding have been funded through a combination of Grants from the Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation (DRPT) and the Virginia Department of Transportation. The largest source of funding comes from Virginia’s “SmartScale” program which seeks to improve mobility and accessibility options for the Citizens of Virginia while spending taxpayer dollars in the most efficient and effective way.
Jennifer Mitchell, director of DRPT, said, “The creation and execution of the Downtown Circulator in Lynchburg has proved Virginia’s commitment to responsible and effective funding of transportation projects in the Commonwealth, and we are excited about the positive impact the Circulator will have on the community. The Downtown Circulator is a 100 percent Smart Scale funded public transit project, because it will provide increased accessibility to jobs and increased multimodal options. We are excited at the many possibilities Smart Scale can bring to high scoring transit projects like this in the future.”
Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne added, “Smart Scale is the prioritization process that Virginia uses to ensure that the right projects are being funded to completion, and the fact that this project is the first to be completed is worthy of respect. We are incredibly proud that the Circulator in Lynchburg has made its mark in Virginia transportation history.”
“The MPO was happy to help GLTC with the surveying and the grant writing component of the Hopper project. Adding another bus to the GLTC fleet and additional transit services in downtown is a win for everyone,” said Scott Smith, Region 2000’s Transportation planning director.
