The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Hampton Roads Transit will begin trial bus service to Norfolk International Airport on Feb. 5.
The service will test customer interest in establishing a permanent service to the airport, an HRT news release says. The hourly bus service will begin at 5 a.m. and end each day at 11:47 p.m., seven days a week through March 10.
The route will serve the arrivals and departures terminals on the hour and connect riders with the downtown area and Cedar Grove Transfer facility by way of Norview Avenue and Tidewater Drive.
The route also will serve the Bromley, East Norview, Five Points, and Green Hill Farms neighborhoods along Norview Avenue, which are not being served by HRT, the release says.
The airport stop will be located on Arrivals Boulevard near the pedestrian bridge and baggage claim.
Light rail customers can use the new service by catching the bus at the stop at Civic Plaza station.
The airport route, also known as Route 7, will cost $1.50.
When the test service ends, HRT will evaluate the number of riders per trip. If the service has at least 10 riders per hour, the transit agency could try the service again during the summer tourist season, said Ray Amoruso, HRT's chief planning and development officer.
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Taxi Monopoly?
To the idiots who mention a taxi monopoly at ORF- Any Norfolk Taxi Company is allowed to pickup at ORF, as well as Carey Transportation, and any other for hire service (limo, towncar, etc..) A monopoly means one company (or two) controls the entire market...this obviously is not the case....
Great News
Let's remember that bus service to the airport isn't only about passengers. ORF is a major employment center in Norfolk, and this will be a good way to get a lot of airport employees' cars off the road.
As a passenger, I can definitely imagine myself using this service from time to time.
It's about time. Just hope it sticks (and improves).
If I had plans to fly next month, I'd definitely use it.
I think it is about the best routing we can hope for, but unfortunately like every other route in Norfolk it will suffer from using the Cedar Grove transfer station. Someone mentioned MacArthur Center being a better downtown terminus. Waterside or Harbor Park could work too. The hourly timing is not great, but probably works better for going to the the airport than on any commuter line. Coming home, a cab ride beats an hour wait any day.
And I hope HRT actually tries to promote this new service. Then again, their last "trial" service extension was fairly successful in spite of this problem, and HRT killed it anyway.
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/01/hrt-sinks-plan-expand-ferry-hours
We Want the Rapido not the Local to/from the Airport
If you want bus passengers, have it depart the near the light rail at MacArthur Center every hour on the hour NON STOP to the Airport. If you stop all over town no one is going to want to do this!!!It should also leave the airport on a set schedule every hour.
This would be very convenient. This would bring visitors to the MacArthur Center - they can dine and wait for family/friends or jump on the light rail.
Really?
You really think people are going to fly to Norfolk just to visit Mac center and eat dinner?
HRT
Thats the same thing i thought would be a better idea..People can get the light rail at Newtown rd. among other areas ..Great Idea Norfolk
HRT and city do not "really" want folks to use this service
This bus service is for show only or as you say it would be scheduled differently. My guess is that for some reason it is important for HRT to be able to say they have bus service to the airport while at the same time making is not easy to use. So by default most people wil still be forced to cab it or park at the airport. Business as normal.
mass transit is not on the agenda
Interesting point about the bus service to the airport. In between all the light rail debate not once was it a topic that there was no bus service to the airport let alone light rail. And yes the most common form of mass transit ...bus service to and from the airport is pretty much non-existant in norfolk/va beach. I knew some folks a few years ago who wanted to start a private bus service to the airport and were denied permission to do so. And still no bus service from va beach to the airport. So before we talk about expanding light rail and high speed trans...let get the easy and cheap basics of mass transit working well ...can we?
beach23451 wrote: "easy and cheap basics of mass transit"
Easy? Maybe. Cheap? No!
Rail moves people further distances than buses and for less money. In 2010 this country spent $18.399 Billion on buses and moved 20.5697 Billion passenger miles. Rail spent $12.4637 Billion and moved 29.3533 billion passenger miles. People traveled 8.7 billion miles further on trains than they did on buses, and yet it cost just shy of $6 Billion less to make that happen.
That's just public transit; it does not include Amtrak or long distance bus companies like Greyhound.
And buses are only "more common" simply because it takes so many more of them to get the job done.
clueless
Your comments add little to the debate.