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Radford Council endorses FY25–26 transit operating budget, approves route cut under ‘option C’
Summary
The Radford City Council voted 4–0 to endorse the FY2025–26 transit operating budget that implements “option C,” which removes one regional two‑hour loop route; staff said the move is expected to reduce operating costs while staff pursues state grants that could offset city expenses.
The Radford City Council on Jan. 27 endorsed the city’s fiscal year 2025–26 transit operating budget, approving “option C,” which removes one regional two‑hour loop route and keeps core city routes in service.
Transit coordinator Melissa Skelton told council the system’s ridership is recovering from COVID lows and that the city recorded about 187,000 passenger boardings in fiscal 2024. Skelton said the 20 route (service to Fairlawn) is the system’s highest‑used route at roughly 40,000 annual boardings, and that the city’s buses are being retrofitted with automatic passenger counters; until those devices are fully installed, some counts remain manual and therefore estimated.
Skelton presented capital and operating breakdowns and said the city’s capital match for planned items would be modest (she cited a city share figure of approximately $10,358 for the capital package shown). She also described a DRPT (Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation) ridership‑based zero‑fare grant she is applying for that would cover a portion of the cost of a fare‑free program over three years (80% first year, 60% second year, 30% third year) and said applying could yield an estimated three‑year benefit “in the low hundreds of thousands” based on current ridership.
Council members asked how staff differentiates university riders from city riders; Skelton said historic estimates attribute roughly 34–35% of ridership to city residents and that some routes (10, 50, 60) primarily serve university needs. She said the city and Radford University share portions of capital and operating matches under existing agreements.
Councilmember discussion focused on balancing service to residents and operating cost containment. The mayor (name not specified in the meeting record) called for endorsement of option C. The motion to endorse the FY25–26 transit operating budget reflecting option C passed in a roll call showing four affirmative votes and no recorded opposition.
Council directed staff to submit the grant and budget documents this week and to continue pursuing DRPT funding to lower the city’s net cost. Skelton told council she would incorporate any awarded grants into the adopted budget, which could reduce the city’s required local match.
Skelton and council also discussed route details and stop signage; council members thanked transit staff for the workload of preparing the application on short notice.
Notes: The council’s endorsement authorizes staff to submit the FY25–26 transit operating budget with the option C routing assumption and to pursue the DRPT zero‑fare grant; final budget adoption will follow the city’s normal budget process.
