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    1. Management

    GRTC continues zero fare operations for another year

    June 16, 2021
    GRTC Board of Directors authorized the FY22 budget supporting ongoing fareless rides through June 2022.
    Related To: Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC)
    GRTC
    Grtc

    The Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) will remain Zero Fare for another year following board approval.  

    Using state and federal COVID-19 relief funding, GRTC has been fareless to ride Local Bus, Pulse (Bus Rapid Transit), Express Bus and CARE/Paratransit vans since March 19, 2020, in response to public health measures and in the interest of economically distressed communities who rely on public transit services to reach jobs, food, healthcare and other critical community resources. 

    GRTC’s annual operating and capital expenditures for FY22 are expected to approach $100 million, including $5.8 million enabling Zero Fare operations from federal relief funding. In FY19 before the pandemic, GRTC received $6.8 million in fare revenue directly from riders and paid $1.6 million in expenses associated with fare collection, resulting in a $5.2 million net fare box revenue.   

    For FY22, non-staffing fare expenses were removed from the budget. Fare collection staff have been offered essential non-fare job functions within GRTC. The projected net revenue difference of $5.8 million will be replaced in the budget by federal COVID-19 relief funds as the region continues to recover economically from the pandemic. 

    “Although bus ridership did decline in 2020 across the nation during the pandemic, GRTC local ridership drops were modest by comparison and are already approaching pre-COVID levels,” said GRTC CEO Julie Timm. “I attribute the ridership rebound to three areas: 1) the strength of the 2018 network redesign connecting essential workers to jobs; 2) the extensive COVID protective measures enacted early and throughout the pandemic to protect staff and riders; and 3) the ongoing commitment to Zero Fare operations to protect the health and financial stability of our riders. GRTC’s focus on connecting people to essential resources resulted in higher sustained ridership. Higher ridership translates into increased Federal and State formula funding and creates a positive feedback loop for GRTC to improve and grow the region’s mobility network.”