Greater Richmond Transit Company

Ownership and management

As a public service company, GRTC is owned equally by the City of Richmond and neighboring Chesterfield County. Henrico County currently purchases services from it, but holds no ownership interest.

It is managed by a private transit management company that provides the CEO, COO, and Transportation Manager, as was its predecessor, Virginia Transit Company (VTC). GRTC itself has 400 employees.

Ownership history

In 1860, Richmond Railway was organized, beginning operations in August. The service was forced to stop for nearly 2 years during the Civil War.

In 1866, Joseph Jackson, Jr., acquired control and resumed operations.

In 1881, it was sold to Richmond City Railway Company.

In 1887, The Richmond City Council adopted an ordinance granting a franchise to the Richmond Union Passenger Railway Company to operate a street railway system. Ground was broken for laying rail.

In 1888, Frank Sprague installed a complete system of electric streetcars in Richmond, Virginia. This was the first large scale and successful use of electricity to run a city's entire system of streetcars. Operation of streetcars continued until they were totally replaced by buses in 1949.

In 1925, Virginia Railway and Power company bought the transit system.

In 1944, the Securities and Exchange Commission directed Virginia Electric and Power company to confine its activities to the electricity business.

In 1944, the Richmond transit bus system (and a similar one in Norfolk) was purchased by VTC, which became part of the United Transit Company the next year. After World War II, public transit systems in the United States became unprofitable, and most were eventually converted to government-owned and funded operations. This trend included Virginia Transit Company operations in Richmond and Norfolk.

In 1947, the Main Street and Westhampton streetcar lines are motorized. Virginia Transit Company began conversion to motor buses.

In 1949, Buses replace electric trolleys. On November 25, 1949, ten streetcars make the last run.

In 1962, American Transportation Enterprises, Inc., acquired controlling interest in United Transit Company.

In 1972, federal, state and local funds were used to purchase the assets of the Virginia Transit Company, and a new public service company was set up, GRTC, which was wholly owned by the City of Richmond. A one-half interest was later purchased by Chesterfield County in the late 1980s. Henrico County declined to purchase a portion at that time.

Management history

Immediately after GRTC was formed, American Transportation Enterprises, Inc., through a subsidiary, continued to provide management.

Routes

Most routes converge on downtown Richmond near Richmond City Hall and the VCU Medical Campus on Broad Street with the exception of routes 18, 91, 93 and 101. Although Chesterfield County is a part owner of GRTC and the county is largely urbanized, there is no public transportation in Chesterfield aside from the Brandermill express run and the two routes (Midlothian Turnpike and Jefferson Davis Highway) that travel roughly half a mile over the city line and then turn back into the city of Richmond. Service in Henrico County is also very limited, with very little bus service in the northern part of the county, and none in the Varina area or Short Pump.

Color-coded, Express, and Park-and-Ride

There are five color routes that serve various neighborhoods of Richmond.

Express buses, complementing the Color-coded routes, run from downtown to various points with few or no stops. They are:

Park-and-ride buses have parking lots for commuters. GRTC Park-and-Ride Service is provided for:

Paratransit service

GRTC's paratransit service in Richmond and Henrico County is provided by the CARE service, which is operated under contract by MV Transportation

Facilities

The GRTC bus garage, is near the intersection of Belt Boulevard and Midlothian Turnpike in South Richmond.