Danville looks to expand bus routes to North Carolina

DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) - A new bus route is in the works that would provide round trips from Danville to Greensboro to help foster the economic growth the city is seeing and add convenience for residents.

Last year, the city surveyed over 800 locals to determine the demand for a regional bus service in the Danville area. 83% said they would use the service, and Greensboro was ranked the most desired route over Lynchburg, Martinsville, and South Boston.

However, Marc Adelman with the city’s transportation department says those routes could be added in the future.

“There’s always been a lot of interest with our passengers to travel to Greensboro, so improving transportation access will be a good end product,” said Adelman.

As a result of the survey, the city’s plan is to expand Danville Transit to have two round trips per day, transporting people between the Danville Transfer Center and the Greensboro Station. There would also be a stop in the middle at the Walmart in Reidsville, North Carolina.

The proposed bus fares are $8 for the trips between Danville and Greensboro and $4 dollars for trips between Danville and Reidsville.

“For people that are interested in completing shopping trips or recreational trips, it will improve the quality of life for our passengers and the general public,” added Adelman.

Adelman says the growth at the Berry Hill Megasite also prompted the project. There would be a stop for riders to hop on a connecting route to the industrial park as the departure times will be tailored toward Microporous’ employee shift times.

“It certainly will improve workforce recruitment opportunities. There are a lot of job opportunities currently and coming to Danville, so we believe this is a good service to help support economic development objectives,” explained Adelman.

The total cost for the two 28-passenger buses is around $500,000 with an annual operational cost of around $100,000.

If state and federal grant funding is approved, the two new buses will be purchased in July. Those would take about 16 months to be ready for service, putting the start date for the new route at the beginning of 2027.

Click here to view the Regional Bus Study that was presented to the Danville Transportation Advisory Committee Meeting.