GRTC reduces frequency of Pulse bus during midday periods, rejects potential cuts to Whitcomb route
In response to a reduced budget, the Greater Richmond Transit Authority will cut back on the frequency of its high-speed Pulse bus, mostly during midday hours.
During its board meeting on Thursday, GRTC passed its budget for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The budget expands the area its free rideshare service, Link, covers.
The proposed budget recommended lowering the frequency of bus route No. 5 as well — changing its runtime from every 15 minutes to every 30 — but City Councilor Ellen Robertson offered a budget amendment that prevented this from happening.
The reason why cuts were needed in the first place was because VCU chose not to renew its contract with GRTC in favor of creating its own bus service. The university’s bus service will share some of the path taken by the Pulse and route No. 5, which was the reasoning behind the proposed cuts.
Robertson said the impacted routes service some of the city’s lowest-income neighborhoods, which is why she said route No. 5 should maintain its frequency.
“Residents don't use VCU as a means of transportation,” she said.
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The roughly $1 million needed to pay for drivers to continue scheduled service along route No. 5 will come from the 2025 budget’s surplus funds.
Other changes to the 2026 budget include:
- Route 88’s path will be adjusted because of construction — five stops will be relocated and 18 stops removed.
- Route 19’s frequency will be lowered after 7 p.m. weekdays from arriving every 15 to 30 minutes since ridership drops off during the evenings.
- All Route 19 buses will now stop at Sheltering Arms.
Link, the on-demand rideshare service, will now service 6.5 additional square miles in Sandston — which will include the airport — and 252 more square miles in Powhatan.
The Sandston expansion will completely cover Route 56’s service area, and GRTC expects Link will fully replace the bus line in September.
Contact Reporting Intern Eleanor Shaw at eshaw@richmonder.org
