Valley Metro, the operational name for the Greater Roanoke Transit Company, provides work and school commutes, errand trips, special needs transportation, extracurricular transportation and more to thousands, Monday through Saturday.
More than 3,500 boardings take place daily. Throughout much of the day, buses run on one-hour cycles. With more than a dozen routes, Valley Metro covers most of Roanoke, a good portion of Salem, parts of Vinton and Roanoke County.
They include: Valley View Mall (No. 11 & 16), Valley Court (No. 21 & 22), Roanoke Regional Airport (No. 25 & 26), Blue Hills (No. 31 & 32), Vinton (35 & 36), Southeast Roanoke (No. 41 & 42), Tanglewood Mall (No. 51 & 56), Brambleton (No. 61 & 62), Grandin (No. 65 & 66), Lewis Gale Hospital (No. 71 & 72), Veterans Hospital (No. 75 & 76), Peters Creek (No. 85 & 86) and Salem (No. 91 & 92).
On Aug. 21, the bus line company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new bus stop at the Valley View Walmart.
Roanoke officials, bus riders, and longtime supporters attended the celebration. Several board members of the Bus Riders of Roanoke Advocacy Group also attended, along with Mayor Joe Cobb, City Manager Valmarie Turner, former Vice Mayor Anita Price, and current councilmembers Nick Hagen and Vivian Sanchez-Jones.
“Valley Metro riders now have a safe, comfortable waiting area, thanks to our partnership with Walmart and commitment to residents’ needs,” Price expressed.
Being that Raya Smith takes the bus to that Wal-Mart several times a month, the mother of four couldn’t be happier. “It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized just how much a luxury it is to have a car. Wal-Mart pretty much has everything that our family needs at prices that I can afford,” Smith said.
She added, “Having a place to sit with my bags while I wait for the bus to arrive is going to make a huge difference. Like several others I’ve spoken to, I am so grateful for this.”
General Manager Kevin Price is committed to providing a better transit experience for every rider. Speaking in a previous recording uploaded to social media, he said, “As gas prices continue to increase, Valley Metro will always be there. Over the last three months, our ridership has continued to increase. We are always looking for ways that we can be more efficient. I encourage everyone to try our system at least once.”
Additional service improvements are being discussed.
