In microtransit test, some rural Virginians can now order bus rides through an app

Residents of two rural Virginia counties who don’t have an easy way to get around are gaining more flexibility to order up a ride from an app.

But instead of getting transportation through ride-sharing platforms like Uber or Lyft, which aren’t always an option in sparsely populated areas, the app will connect them to small buses operated by local transit agencies.

Gloucester and Wise counties will be the first localities to test out the technology under the first microtransit pilot program in Virginia. The 18-month program will rely on vehicles and drivers already in operation through Mountain Empire Transit in Southwest Virginia and Bay Transit, which serves the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.