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TAP INTO TRANSIT 2026
All City Art Club x GRTC ART BUS Team:
Exterior Bus Mural:
Silly Genius, Chris Visions, Davi Leventhal
Pipeline Studio’s Interior Mural:
Liam Weis
Jadon Rowson
Ja
Taurean Winston
Khamari Pineda
Performance:
DJ Hip Hop Henry
Silent Auction by All City Art Club
Greater Richmond Transit Company
Visual Research Guide
Richmond Union Passenger Railway Company photogravure album, courtesy of NYPL Digital Collections.
History of the Greater Richmond Transit Company
1860 The Richmond Railway was formed, offering horse drawn trolley service in addition to railroad access to the city
1887 The Richmond Union Passenger Railway Company began operating electric streetcars
1949 Gas buses replaced electric streetcars
1953 Gas buses were replaced by diesel
1949 Gas buses replaced electric streetcars
1953 Gas buses were replaced by diesel
1957 The “Frosty Fleet” was introduced, bringing air conditioning to Richmond’s public transit.
1973 The transit agency was purchased from private owners and incorporated as GRTC Transit System to provide regional transit
1973 The transit agency was purchased from private owners and incorporated as GRTC Transit System to provide regional transit
1975 Service began to Henrico County
1989 Chesterfield County completed the purchase of half ownership of GRTC, joining the City of Richmond in a 50/50 ownership split
1995 The transit system adopted a new purple and black color scheme, which would later become purple, green, and white
1989 Chesterfield County completed the purchase of half ownership of GRTC, joining the City of Richmond in a 50/50 ownership split
1995 The transit system adopted a new purple and black color scheme, which would later become purple, green, and white
2000s GRTC made major changes to prepare the region for 21st-century transit service, adding real-time bus tracking, online trip planning, and building a new facility on Belt Blvd, which began full operations in 2010.
2012 GRTC added its first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle to the paratransit fleet
2013 The first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses went into operation
2014 The region completed the Broad Street Rapid Transit Study and received notice of approval for a federal TIGER Grant, providing key funding and plans for what would become the GRTC Pulse Bus Rapid Transit system. Design and construction would last another four years. The first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses went into operation
2018 In preparation for the opening of the Pulse, GRTC conducted a major overhaul of all service, culminating in the new GRTC bus and Pulse system launching in 2018 to great success: ridership would increase by 17 percent in the first full year of service
2020 Longtime GRTC co-owners Chesterfield County received their first fixed route bus line with the introduction of the Route 111 (now 3B) along the Richmond Highway
2023 In GRTC’s 50th year, the agency introduced several new routes, services, and major infrastructure pieces. This began with the opening of a new temporary off-street Downtown Transfer Station, with real-time information screens, WIFI, charging, and other amenities. The agency then introduced LINK Microtransit, a new zone based on demand transit service that began operating first in Azalea
2024 A second fixed route bus line was extended into Chesterfield County with a major expansion along the 1A, and four more mictrotransit service zones were added
2025 Three-door, 60-foot articulated buses were added to the Pulse fleet to meet increased ridership needs — built for more riders and faster boarding. GRTC also launched the Transit Access Partnership, a collaborative effort focused on keeping transit zero fare and accessible for all