First, a word from RVA Rapid Transit’s outgoing Board President, Nelson Reveley:
Greetings RVA Rapid Transit friends,
I am interrupting your regularly scheduled email for two reasons:
First, as many of you know, the incomparable Ross Catrow moved into his role as Executive Director of RVA Rapid Transit almost a year ago at this point, and, ever since, he has been diligently and dynamically spearheading advocacy initiatives for public transit throughout the Richmond region.
Now, it is with great honor that I announce the new RVA Rapid Transit Board leadership team that will be coming alongside Ross: Kendra Norrell as President, Brantley Tyndall as Vice President, Sheryl Johnson as Treasurer, and Joh Gehlbach as Secretary. The rest of the Board and I are immensely grateful and deeply excited for what lies ahead with this powerfully skilled team driving forward the push for frequent, far-reaching public transit.
Second, as you also know, over the past few years we have witnessed previously unimaginable growth in transit in the Richmond region. With Chesterfield adding a bus line along Route 1 to John Tyler Community College in 2020 and the City and Henrico each considering their next steps toward the Regional Transit Vision Plan, we are poised to continue making great strides. To keep that momentum rolling, though, we need your continued support. Please feel overwhelmingly excited to make your tax-deductible donation to RVA Rapid Transit right this red hot second. Donations can be made faster than a flying Pulse through our website.
Suggestions for a donation amount, whether one-time or sustaining, include:
* $41 for the 41 bus lines in GRTC's network
* $22 for the 22 miles of bus rapid transit that, if built, would provide a public transit backbone from the airport to Short Pump
* $7.60 for the 7.6 miles of the Pulse currently
As always, thank you for your dedication! Your support makes the difference.
— Nelson Reveley, RVA Rapid Transit Board Member
AROUND THE REGION
Now, two time-sensitive transit things for you to be aware of:
On October 10th, from 6:00–8:30 PM at the Randolph Community Center, RVA Rapid Transit will join a bunch of other area nonprofits and organizations in hosting Mayorathon: A Focus on the 5th—a candidate forum for the 5th District City Council special election. We’ve put together questionnaires featuring a handful of topics and will be asking the participating candidates the types of policy-oriented questions you’ve come to expect from the Mayorathon team. Please register over on the Eventbrite, which will help us get a handle on the headcount. Also, keep an eye out for the questionnaire responses as we get closer to the event.
Do you want to be on TV (and, presumably, YouTube and streaming services)? GRTC needs volunteers to appear in commercials promoting the new bus service coming to the Route 1 corridor in Chesterfield County. They’re filming on October 14th–23rd from 7:00 AM–5:00 PM, so it’s a long day, but you get fed and immortalized in video. If you’re interested, you can contact Ashley Mason over at GRTC (ashley.mason@ridegrtc.com.
—Ross Catrow