New state-managed bus route will run from Virginia Beach to Harrisonburg

Brian Reese
·2 min read

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A new bus route will run from Virginia Beach to Harrisonburg, 365 days a year, starting in 2025.

It will be the first east-west route for the state-managed Virginia Breeze bus lines, and the fifth in total. The four other routes run from Southwest and Central Virginia to Northern Virginia.

“As I conclude my time as DRPT Director, this route expansion is not just a project, but a legacy that I am proud to leave behind, “said Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation Director Jennifer DeBruhl in a statement about the new route.

The stops on the new route are expected to include Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, New Kent, Richmond, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg. A survey found those were among the highest priority stops due to their connections to the miliary, universities and more.

<em>Virginia Breeze’s current bus lines (Courtesy of Virginia Breeze)</em>
Virginia Breeze’s current bus lines (Courtesy of Virginia Breeze)

The route will go both east and west each day, and take about 6 and 1/2 hours total, Virginia Breeze says. Ticket pricing has yet to be determined, but for example, a one-way trip from Bristol to Washington, D.C. costs about $59.99 through the service. A ride from Washington to Harrisonburg costs about $35.99.

Virginia Breeze is a state-managed initiative through the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation that started in 2017. The idea was to bring back bus services to rural and other underserved communities in the wake of Greyhound’s decline over the past several decades. Greyhound does currently offer routes between Hampton Roads and places like Richmond and Charlottesville, but doesn’t have the same options and reach.

For example, to get to Charlottesville from Hampton Roads, you’d have to get on a bus in Hampton at 5:25 a.m. There are also no options that stretch to Harrisonburg.

Virginia Breeze is funded overall through a combination of Federal Transit Administration’s Intercity Bus Program, I-81 corridor improvement funding and passenger ticket revenue. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation invested about $500,000 to operate the new east-west line.

Virginia Breeze says since it launched it’s provided nearly 220,000 rides, and demand has been increasing. That includes a 10% increase in ridership from 2023 to 2024.

The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization said they’re thrilled with the new route.

“The HRPDC and HRTPO are fully supportive of increased transportation connections to our region, including expanded inter-city bus service,” the organizations said in a statement. “These improved bus connections will not only provide visitors to our region an alternative to the automobile, but will provide another option for visitors to travel to our region to enjoy the incredible assets we are home to in the 757.  We appreciate the efforts of DRPT and other State partners to make these improved connections a reality.”

For more information, visit www.virginiabreeze.org.

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