WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — While many public transit systems across the country are still working to regain pre-pandemic ridership levels, the Williamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA) has already surpassed them.
“We’ve had about a 17 percent increase in ridership in the past two years,” said Matthew Scalia, Executive Director of WATA.
Scalia explained that what makes this achievement even more impressive is that the system hasn’t fully restored its pre-COVID operating hours. Before the pandemic, buses ran later into the evening and had more frequent service on certain routes, including the popular Route 3 along Merrimac Trail.
Despite that, ridership continues to climb, thanks in part to several upgrades designed to make public transit more accessible and convenient.
One of the biggest projects on the horizon is the construction of a new North Transit Center, set to open by the summer of 2026.
“It’ll include proper amenities for our staff and passengers, a comfortable waiting area, and customer service facilities,” Scalia said.
WATA has also rolled out mobile ticketing through its transit app, allowing riders to purchase and display digital passes on their phones. The next step, Scalia said, will be expanding access for riders who may not have credit cards but do have phones.
“For those riders, we want them to be able to go to convenience stores or participating vendors to purchase tickets and then download them onto their phones,” he explained.
In the future Scalia hopes to further increase route frequency to make commuting easier for local residents.
“Let’s make it more convenient for people so they can improve their lives and improve the economy,” he said.
As construction of the new North Transit Center moves forward, WATA plans to hold public meetings to gather feedback on routes and stops connected to the facility. The authority encourages riders to share their input once the opportunity becomes available.
