This week across Virginia is Try Transit Week! That means, that if you haven't hopped on the GRTC yet, it's the perfect week to do so.

Bus Anxiety is a real thing, and there's lots of little things you need to know before taking the bus: Where to get a fare card, how to find a bus stop, which bus to take, how to swipe your card once you get on the bus. It's a lot!

Lucky for us, GRTC has put in the time to create a How to Ride Guide—and it's excellent. There are even a bunch of videos showing you exactly how everything is done.

Some tips, from me to you:

Buy a One Day Unlimited pass. This gets you unlimited rides and transfers for one day, and it costs $3.50. The freedom of being able to ride and transfer as much as you want all day long is pretty...freeing.
You can find where bus passes are sold on GRTC's website. You can also buy most of the passes on the bus with cash.
Yo! Unless you've got one of the older Go Cards, you'll need to first insert your pass, and on the next ride you'll swipe your pass.
The easiest way to plan your trip is probably through a combination of the Google Maps app and the official GRTC app. Google will tell you where you need to go and which bus to take when you get there. The GRTC app will show you exactly when that bus will arrive—the "Locate nearby bus stops" option is super handy.