Regional Transit Vision for the Charlottesville Area

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The engagement level for this type of study has been phenomenal. Originally, the scope of work funded two surveys and two public meetings. A diverse set of stakeholders requested additional engagement opportunities for the populations that they represent. The project team designed survey tools and engagement opportunities to reach these key populations. In addition to expanding the rural component of the project, the project team reached people who are transit dependent and underrepresented, older adults, people with disabilities, and businesses and employers. The project used five different types of surveys to collect over 1,000 surveys, hosted 5 stakeholder workshops and three public forum events, and conducted numerous focus groups. Project materials are available in Spanish, and the project team worked with Sin Barreras to host a Spanish language focus group. Focus groups and in-person events were also conducted for people with disabilities and older adults, with the Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion Youth Ambassadors, and at the Downtown Transit Center for bus riders.  Click here to view the Summary of Engagement Activities  for more details on the engagement process up to August 2022. When the engagement process is complete, a comprehensive report will be available that documents engagement results.

 Click here to view the Report on Draft Vision Concepts . This report provides background and additional information on the proposed constrained and unconstrained visions.

The Regional Transit Vision for the Charlottesville Area is a collaborative effort to evaluate transit service in Charlottesville and the surrounding region and to establish a clear long-term vision for efficient, equitable and effective transit service in the region.

This project is being led by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. It is funded in part by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit, with matching funds provided by the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. It supports the work of the  Regional Transit Partnership  (RTP), which strives to improve communication and collaboration between the three transit providers that operate in the Charlottesville Metro Area.

The goal of the Regional Transit Vision Project is to establish a single unified, long-term vision for transit service in the Charlottesville area that can be shared and supported by all the members of the RTP and its constituents. The planning effort will include a study of the region’s existing conditions, including transit services, transportation patterns, and land development practices. It will also include asking the community about its values and priorities for the future of the region’s public transit. The project will result in the development of strategies and integrated transit network concepts to reach the community’s goals.

This effort is being assisted by some of the leading public transit experts in the country, but the ultimate success of the plan depends on robust and meaningful public engagement. All community members are encouraged to regularly visit the project website to find information about upcoming events and to learn about all the ways that you can share your thoughts and ideas

• Equity: Expand opportunities for all residents and represents the needs of both the urban and rural communities
• Multi-modality: Reduce reliance on automobiles
• Climate Change: Help protect the environment

"Develop, design, and provide transit in the Charlottesville area in a manner that reflects a collaborative, inclusive and equitable process, representing needs in both urban and rural areas. This transit system expands opportunities for all residents (Equity), reduces reliance on automobiles (Multi-modality), and helps protect the environment (Climate Change Mitigation)."

The project study area is composed of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission area (including the City of Charlottesville and the Counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson) as well as Buckingham County which is served by Jaunt.

Use the buttons in the lower right corner of the map to zoom in and navigate around the map.

Study Area Map

The map below shows the transit network in the urban areas of Charlottesville and Albemarle as it would run in the Fall of 2022. As the colors indicate, there is relatively little frequent transit service, with most routes across the urban area running every 30 minutes or every 60 minutes. University circulators and the Trolley Route are the only services that run every 15 minutes or better.

The map below shows the existing transit network in the rural areas of region, including Greene, Louisa, Buckingham, Nelson, and Albemarle Counties. Most transit service in the rural areas today consists of limited peak-only services to and from Charlottesville and demand responsive services that require day-ahead reservations and limited hours of service.

The map below shows the Unconstrained Vision Concept in the urbanized areas. There are now five frequent routes touching the most dense parts of the urbanized area. Most other routes operate at least every 30 minutes.

Compared to today's network, the Unconstrained Vision Concept in the urbanized area would provide the following benefits:

• 36% of residents in the urban area would be near frequent service (a bus every 15 minutes) compared to only 14% today. An additional 7% of the urbanized area's residents would have access to regular transit service.
• 59% of jobs would be near frequent service compared to only 28% today and 4% more jobs would have access to regular transit service.
• 52% of low income residents would be near frequent service, compared to only 23% today and 5% more low income residents would have access to regular transit service.
• 50% of people of color would be near frequent service, compared to only 20% today and 5% more people of color would have access to regular transit service.
• The average resident of the urbanized area could reach 15,000 jobs and opportunities in 60 minutes of travel time compared to the existing network. That's 57% more than today.

The map below shows the Unconstrained Vision Concept in the rural areas of the region, including Greene, Louisa, Buckingham, Nelson, and Albemarle Counties. There are now five all-day routes connecting many of the outlying towns to Charlottesville, including Ruckersville, Louisa, Palmyra, Scottsville, Lovingston, and Crozet. There are also supplementary on-demand zones that would allow for same-day on-demand service within those zones. A resident could call or use a smartphone app to request a trip and travel within that zone and connect to the fixed routes to other destinations. These zones would serve Louisa, Zions Crossroad, Lake Monticello, Esmont-Scottsville area, and Crozet. In addition, day-ahead reservation services would continue to operate in each county with service 7-days a week and longer hours of service.

The map below shows the Constrained Vision Concept in the urbanized areas. Route 10 is improved by making it an extension of the Trolley, with high frequency service on High Street and a new 30-minute branch serving northern portions of Pantops. Route 2 is improved to every 15 minutes and its branches improved to every 30 minutes, providing better service to 5th Street Station and PVCC. Route 7 is improved to every 20 minutes and an every hour extension is provided to the Airport and North Fork Research Center. Routes 4 and 6 are improved to every 30 minutes. On-demand service would be provided in Pantops and areas along US 29 north of Rio Road. All fixed routes would operate 7 days a week.

Compared to today's network, the Constrained Vision Concept in the urbanized area would provide the following benefits:

• 20% of residents in the urban area would be near frequent service (a bus every 15 minutes) compared to only 14% today.
• 31% of jobs would be near frequent service compared to only 28% today.
• 28% of low income residents would be near frequent service, compared to only 23% today.
• 24% of people of color would be near frequent service, compared to only 20% today.
• The average resident of the urbanized area could reach 11,000 jobs and opportunities in 60 minutes of travel time compared to the existing network. That's 12% more than today.
• All fixed routes in the urbanized area would operate 7 days per week, significantly improving access to opportunity on weekends.

In the Constrained Vision Concept, the hours of service for Circulator demand response services are improved in Greene, Louisa, Buckingham, Nelson, and rural portions of Albemarle Counties. In addition, there would be more trips per day on the CONNECT services (like the Buckingham and Crozet CONNECT routes).

This memo describes the process and rationale for the development of a vision statement and a set of meaningful, measurable, and appropriate goals, objectives and measures of effectiveness (MOEs) for the plan.

 Click here to read the memo. 

 Click here to view the Summary of Engagement Activities  for more details on the engagement process up to August 2022. When the engagement process is complete, a comprehensive report will be available that documents engagement results.

 Click here to view the Report on Draft Vision Concepts . This report provides background and additional information on the proposed constrained and unconstrained visions.

This memo summarizes the pubic and stakeholder engagement process as of April 2022. The memo summarizes engagement related to the project website, Project Steering Committee and stakeholder meetings, the public workshop, and surveys.

 Click here to read the public engagement summary. 

On November 18, 2021, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and Regional Transit Partnership hosted the first virtual public meeting for the Regional Transit Vision for the Charlottesville Area.

A video recording of this meeting can be found on YouTube:    Public Meeting #1 

 Click here to read the official meeting summary. 

 Click here to review the public meeting presentation slides. 

On June 23, 2022, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and Regional Transit Partnership hosted the second virtual public meeting for the Regional Transit Vision for the Charlottesville Area.

A video recording of this meeting can be found on YouTube:    Public Meeting #2 

 Click here to read the official meeting summary. 

 Click here to review the public meeting presentation slides. 

The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission hosted an open house at the Downtown Transit Center (615 East Water Street) in Charlottesville on July 12th, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The goal of this event was to collect public input on the draft Regional Transit Vision for the greater Charlottesville area, including the counties surrounding the city.

On October 7, 2021, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and Regional Transit Partnership hosted the first virtual stakeholder meeting for the Regional Transit Vision for the Charlottesville Area.

A video recording of this meeting can be found on YouTube:    Stakeholder Meeting #1 

 Click here to read the official meeting summary. 

As part of the process of understanding the issues that affect transit in this region, the project team has conducted a Land Use Assessment and a Transit Propensity Assessment. Links to these reports can be found below and several of the maps from these reports are reproduced below. Use the buttons in the lower right corner of the map to zoom in and navigate around the maps.

 Click here to read the Land Use Assessment. 

 Click here to read the Transit Propensity Assessment. 

The following series of interactive maps was created for the Regional Transit Vision’s Land Use Assessment and Transit Propensity assessments. These maps provide a general overview of land use conditions and development patterns in the study area. You can click on the items on the map to find out what each element is. More detailed land use conditions will also be studied as part of the development of the Vision Plan. Transit service is not expected to be provided to all the destinations and communities identified on these maps. Instead, this information is intended to help reveal patterns and trends that can be considered in the project’s visioning exercises.

The project framework is organized into three major phases: (1) Listen, (2) Envision, and (3) Affirm. This framework is designed so that each phase will build off the progress made in the previous phase.

Phase 1. Listen

The Listen phase focuses on educating the public and stakeholders on the existing conditions and influences that will likely have an impact on transit in the region. The consultant team will also listen to and strive to understand local aspirations and ideas for future transit service.

Phase 2. Envision

The Envision phase will build off the Listen phase by confirming the draft vision and goals and exploring long-term transit alternatives for the region. The alternatives will provide an opportunity to explore and test different approaches to serving the region’s long-term needs and learning about the tradeoffs and choices associated with future alternatives and related transportation infrastructure.

Phase 3. Affirm

The Affirm phase will build off the Envision phase by confirming the reactions to alternatives and related policy direction. It will focus on developing the draft Regional Transit Vision Plan based on the prior input and based on prior input and additional public and stakeholder input on the proposed alternatives. The final plan documents will be posted on the website and shared with the community.

The Regional Transit Vision for the Charlottesville Area needs your feedback!

In addition to periodic surveys, there is an opportunity to share your comments at any time below. You can also submit your email address using this form to receive emailed updates and information about the study effort.