PDRTA reports sharp ridership gains in Chesterfield County; officials eye earlier routes for workers

Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority representatives told the Chesterfield County Council on Oct. 2 that fixed-route and demand-response services in the county have grown substantially and that new workforce-focused routes are planned.

The presenter, identified in the transcript after the chair invited "Mister Strickland" to speak, said county trips rose from about 1,550 in May to roughly 2,400 in September — a roughly 45% increase — and that PDRTA expects monthly in-county trips to reach 3,000–4,000, approaching an annual level near 50,000. He said systemwide monthly ridership has reached about 39,000 trips, of which approximately 22,000 were workforce-related trips, a share he estimated at 55–60%.

The presenter said most current county services run between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. and that adding early-shift service (around 5 a.m.) and routing specifically dedicated to workforce travel is a near-term priority. He described demand-response expansions, steady month-over-month growth for a recently started fixed route called "Pays and Express," and plans to increase outreach and administrative capacity to publicize services.

The presenter noted a large share of riders come from households with one or no vehicles and emphasized the role of transit in connecting residents to jobs, dialysis and health-care trips, and other critical services. Council members asked no substantive follow-up questions in the transcript excerpt.

The council thanked the presenter for the update. The county did not take formal action during this presentation; the PDRTA representative said the agency will continue to work with county staff on workforce routing and outreach.