Only One Quarter of Richmond Bus Stops Have Benches, Shade

A “State of Transit” report from RVA Rapid Transit reveals that almost three-quarters of bus stops in Richmond, Virginia lack benches or shelter, reports Ian M. Stewart for Virginia Public Media, “and according to GRTC’s essential infrastructure plan from last year, less than half of these stops have the necessary landing pads required by the federal American with Disabilities Act.”

As Stewart explains, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation works with over 40 other state transportation agencies to develop designs for bus shelters, based on site ownership, that meet building codes and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. “It can take more than two years and thousands of dollars for a bus shelter to be put in, according to an earlier story VPM News reported.”

Stewart writes that “Officials with GRTC said they have a goal of installing 160 new shelters and 627 new benches by the year 2027.” However, the agency’s board, which voted to support that goal, did not allocate additional funding to the project but instead hopes to acquire funding from VDOT or the Central Virginia Transportation Agency.