HAMPTON, Va. – The Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads, the governing board of Hampton Roads Transit (HRT), today approved the agency’s System Optimization Plan, a comprehensive initiative designed to better align bus service with available resources to create a more reliable transit network for customers.
The System Optimization Plan (SOP) aims to increase ridership by allocating service where it is most needed, improving reliability, and making the system more cost effective.
The SOP proposes eliminating or modifying low-performing or duplicative routes while redeploying those assets to routes with high ridership demand. HRT also will add new zones for its OnDemand Ridesharing service, providing wait times of 15 minutes in areas with reduced fixed-route service.
“Today’s board approval marks a critical milestone for HRT as we proactively build a more efficient bus network for the future—one that preserves customer access and mobility while better aligning service schedules with operator and vehicle availability,” said Karen Kitsis, HRT’s Chief Planning and Development Officer.
One benefit of the plan is to increase the number of regional backbone routes from three to 13, providing 330,000 more people with access to 15-minute service during peak hours. Fewer than 1 percent of current customers will lose access to transit under the plan.
The SOP will be implemented in phases starting in May 2027. Changes will affect local bus routes in HRT’s member cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.
Maps and details of every bus route’s proposed changes are available here.
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
May 28, 2026