Transit Center fuels record ridership, improved service
The Transit Center at Virginia Tech is proving to be a success story for campus mobility, with ridership and service improvements setting new records since the redesigned Blacksburg Transit service launched in June 2024.
The opening of the Transit Center marked the first major redesign of Blacksburg Transit’s service on the Blacksburg campus since its founding in 1983. The new model consolidated time checks that were previously spread around the Drillfield into one central transfer point, creating shorter routes and increasing efficiency. As a result, select routes saw a 25 to 33 percent increase in frequency without the need for more buses.
Blacksburg Transit set an all-time ridership record in fiscal year 2025 with 4,783,530 passengers. This is a 26 percent increase from fiscal year 2024 and surpassed the previous record set in 2019 of 4,659,053 passengers. On Jan. 21, Blacksburg Transit recorded its highest single-day ridership with 33,258 passengers.
“Students, faculty, staff, and community members have embraced the redesigned transit system and the numbers show it,” said Nick Quint, sustainable transportation manager at Virginia Tech. “The Transit Center has not only streamlined how we move people, but has also improved convenience and reliability for riders.”
The Campus Shuttle, which connects key areas of the Blacksburg campus, accounted for nearly 20 percent of total ridership with 947,000 trips in fiscal year 2025. Buses traveled 1.23 million miles last year, placing the system among the top six transit agencies in Virginia, a ranking that includes the larger metro areas, according to the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
Blacksburg Transit also expanded and modernized its fleet to meet growing demand. Eighteen new electric buses entered service this fall, making the fleet 57 percent electric, with a total of 28 vehicles. The number of articulated 60-foot “bendy buses” also increased by three to better accommodate ridership demand.
These sustainability investments reduce campus reliance on cars, improve air quality, and support the university’s long-term Climate Action Commitment to achieve carbon neutrality. The Transit Center also supports the university’s Campus Master Plan, which envisions a more walkable, accessible, and sustainable campus.
