VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — With a new app to pay for fares and an extended route, the VB Wave Trolley returns for the summer season on Sunday, May 11.
This Oceanfront fixture — served by distinctive sky-blue and sand-colored trolley buses on three routes serving the Virginia Beach resort area – is ready for customers following a record 2024 season.
“After a highly successful 40th anniversary last year with ridership up 59 percent from a year earlier, the VB Wave is back to help visitors and locals get around the Oceanfront and Bayside this summer,” said William E. Harrell, President and CEO of Hampton Roads Transit (HRT).
The trolleys, augmented by regular HRT buses, serve three routes:
- Route 30: Ride the VB Wave from one end of Atlantic Avenue to the other. Stop along the way at shops, restaurants, museums and more, with service about every 15 minutes from 8 a.m.-2 a.m. daily through the Neptune Festival, Sept. 26-28.
- Route 31 (Aquarium/campground): This route is being extended this season from Rudee Inlet to Atlantic Avenue and 18th Street. Ride the VB Wave to and from campgrounds and tennis courts, fun parks and the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. Connect to Route 30 to points north. Route 31 will operate daily every 20 minutes from 9:30 a.m.-11:10 p.m. through Labor Day and again on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only from Sept. 5 through the Neptune Festival.
- Route 35 (Bayfront Shuttle): Services between Parks Avenue/19th Street up Pacific Avenue to Shore Drive/Pleasure House Road. Route 35 services the Oceanfront, First Landing State Park, Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E., Fort Story at Atlantic Avenue and 88th Street, North End beaches, Chesapeake Bay beaches and Bayfront restaurants on Shore Drive. Operates daily, about every 30 minutes, from 8 a.m.-12:30 a.m. through Labor Day and on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only through the Neptune Festival.
The VB Wave connects to HRT bus lines, including Routes 20 and 960 express service to downtown Norfolk.
For information about the VB Wave Trolley, including fares and maps, please visit https://gohrt.com/modes/vb-wave-bayfront-shuttle/. Plan ahead using HRT’s new interactive system map at https://gohrt.com/system-map.
New app to pay
This year’s service features a new app, GoMobile, for seamless travel before boarding using your smartphone. Riders can purchase tickets through the app with a credit card. Mobile ticketing is only available for The VB Wave trolley, not other HRT services.
It’s easy to use GoMobile:
- Download the app at gohrt.com/mobile. With a GoMobile account, you can create and manage multiple virtual cards and reload value or passes for easy group boarding. Each fare-paying rider will require a unique virtual card to be scanned when boarding. Kids 17 and under ride free with a paying adult and will not be required to scan a virtual card or pay fare when boarding with an adult. Simply set up an account using your email address and password.
- Create a virtual card and load passes or money. The maximum daily or monthly fare will automatically provide the best fare price or purchase individual passes (one-way, one-day, or 30-day). Use any major credit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Purchase passes or load money to each virtual card to be scanned prior to boarding. Only one virtual card may be used per rider. To pay for multiple riders, create
- Scan the virtual card when you board. From the “USE” screen on the app, navigate to the virtual card QR code and scan it at the validator upon boarding. If multiple virtual cards are on one device for a group, scroll and scan each unique virtual card for passengers boarding.
An app is not required to ride the VB Wave. Tickets can be purchased at certain retail locations or with cash payments accepted onboard the trolley (exact change only). Retail and fare information and discount details are available at gohrt.com/mobile.
About HRT
HRT’s mission is to connect Hampton Roads with transportation solutions that are reliable, safe, efficient and sustainable. For more information on transit services, visit gohrt.com.
Media contact:
Thomas Becher, APR
Manager, Communications
April 24, 2025
Cell: (757) 354-0564
(757) 222-6010