HAMPTON, Va. — There is a new option for public transportation in Hampton. It is a rideshare service in vans.
“Today, we’re celebrating the first day of OnDemand Ridesharing," Hampton Mayor Jimmy Gray said at a ceremony Monday to announce the launch of the service.
Watch: Convenient "microtransit" travel options with HRT OnDemand on Coast Live
Gray said the new service offered by Hampton Roads Transit through a partnership with a company called Via Transportation, Inc. will help more Hampton residents get around the city and bring businesses new customers.
This is something News 3 previewed January 5 and is a service that has already been rolled out in Newport News and Virginia Beach.
Watch: Hampton Roads Transit expands microtransit service, makes changes for 2026
To use the service, schedule a ride through an app on your phone or by calling 757-859-8294.
The vans can only pick you up and drop you off within the pre-determined roughly six-mile service area, though. A ride will cost you $2, the same as riding an HRT bus, but will be free for qualified riders.
Gray said this is part of his effort to “level up” the city, a theme he introduced at his state of the city address in December.
"One of the things that we’re doing in Hampton is we are leveling up our work with families who need assistance with connecting to the job training and then to the available and in-demand jobs in the Hampton Roads region," said Gray.
Watch: Hampton Mayor announces HII spending $28M to upgrade facility in the city
The vans will be available from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
HRT President & CEO William Harrell said this bridges what he calls an important transportation gap.
“Known in our industry as microtransit, it is a new mode of transit which is ideal fro the first and last leg of a trip...to ensure that customers have access to reliable, safe, affordable, efficient, and sustainable transportation," Harrell explained.
Watch: Hampton Roads Transit eyes on-demand microtransit to fix bus driver shortage
The city of Hampton is paying $244,000 for the service, about 20 percent of the cost. The rest of the cost is covered by grant funding HRT received.
The service will run through October, at which point the city can choose to continue it but will have to pay a bigger share of the cost.
Monday, HRT also held a ceremony in Chesapeake to announce the start of the service there as well. As of Monday, HRT had a total of 16 vans operating in Hampton, Newport News, and Chesapeake. The city of Virginia Beach chose to pasue the service there as of Jan. 10.
