Blacksburg Transit to decrease service in January

From: Sustainable Transportation

Blacksburg Transit will temporarily reduce weekday service beginning Jan. 18, 2026, due to two active recalls affecting the battery capacity of its electric buses.

The service changes will include frequency reductions and alternate route patterns affecting at least eight routes at various times between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Service after 7 p.m. on weekdays and all weekend service will not be affected.

Electric buses make up more than 50 percent of the BT fleet. The recalls, combined with cold weather, have reduced battery operating capacity and limited service availability.

BT will maintain service during peak ridership periods as much as possible. Some routes will operate for shorter durations, while routes with longer operating times will be served by diesel buses or split between two electric buses.

Customers may experience reduced frequency before 8 a.m. and after 3 p.m. on select routes. In some cases, service will operate every 30 minutes instead of every 15 minutes. Alternate night and weekend route patterns will begin at 3 p.m. on some routes. Several routes will be unaffected.

All 28 New Flyer electric buses in the BT fleet are included in both active recalls. The buses remain safe to operate, and BT has implemented all recommended safety precautions. No safety or mechanical issues related to the recalls have been reported.

What this means for riders

Weekday bus service may run less frequently on some routes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., with the most noticeable changes occurring before 8 a.m. and after 3 p.m. Evening service after 7 p.m. and all weekend service will continue as scheduled.

Route-specific service changes are available at ridebt.org/service-changes. Additional information about the New Flyer recalls can be found here:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V631-2095.pdf
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V566-4543.pdf