NORFOLK, Va. — Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) has launched a new online tool to tell its story.
Sustaining the Future of Transit (SustainingTransit.org) is a visual, interactive website that combines multimedia visuals and text to introduce audiences to Hampton Roads Transit, the history of transit in Hampton Roads, HRT’s economic impact, its challenges and opportunities, and ways everyone can support transit.
Visitors to the site will find dynamic maps that highlight routes, points of interest, employment clusters, population density and more. The website includes video testimonials from local leaders in key industries that rely on transit, such as workforce development, Naval Station Norfolk, Sentara and the hospitality industry. Finally, the story map shares ways to support long-term and sustainable funding for public transportation.
The online resource, created in partnership with the consultancy WSP USA Inc., supports HRT initiatives to address long-term and sustainable funding for public transportation in Hampton Roads and efforts such as the System Optimization Plan aimed to drive efficiency and reduce costs.
Like many public transportation agencies in the country, HRT has faced several challenges in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. While slowly growing, ridership is still below pre-pandemic levels given shifting commuting habits and people working from home at least some of the time. At the same time, the operational and capital costs of service have increased with rising inflation, while state and federal funding is stagnant or even decreasing.
In response, the Virginia General Assembly this year adopted HJ28, a bill to create a 13-member joint subcommittee for a two-year study on options that provide long-term, sustainable, and dedicated operations and capital funding with cost-containment controls to ensure that all HRT services are developed to meet the growing public transit needs of the region.
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
Cell: (757) 354-0564
tbecher@hrtransit.org
April 28, 2026