TAKE ACTION

Earlier this week, we asked you to take action and let your congressional representatives know that public transit must be included in any sort of federal COVID-19 relief package. Time is short, and new funding from the federal government is critical to help transit agencies all across the country as revenue and ridership drop and costs go up.

If you haven't already, please take two minutes and use Transportation for America's form to email your representatives.

AROUND THE REGION

As our region grapples with the impact of COVID-19, GRTC continues to provide bus service for those folks who need it. You can find GRTC's system status here along with any policy and procedure changes they've made. Of note: All fare collection has been suspended and passengers are required to board through the back door to minimize contact with the bus operator. While we love public transportation, please follow GRTC's guidance and eliminate all non-essential trips to help further protect bus operators and bus service.

Robert Roldan at VPM says bus ridership in Richmond is starting to decline as more folks (appropriately) stop taking the bus. We'll have more data in a couple of weeks, but a drop in ridership should be expected and tracks with what transit agencies around the country are seeing. Moving forward, it'll be important to stop using ridership as the sole metric of success for GRTC. They're serving a critical role during this crisis in providing essential transportation throughout the region.

If you have more time on your hands, consider joining our newly-launched Urbanist Book Club. We'll read through Taras Grescoe's Straphanger over the next couple of weeks, posting updates on Twitter and our blog. Here's some takeaways from Chapter 1.

—Ross Catrow