AASHTO Journal - NCDOT Helps Launch New Intercity Bus Route

The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently launched a new intercity bus route designed to coordinate with the Virginia Breeze bus service to better connect North Carolina and Virginia.

[Above photo by the Virginia Breeze]

The new route, known as the Triad-Danville Connector, will begin in Winston-Salem, NC, at the downtown transit center and will make stops in the cities of Greensboro and Reidsville before crossing into Virginia and ending at the Danville Transit Center in Danville, VA.

Buses will operate on this new route twice a day, in the morning and afternoon, seven days a week, and will directly connect to the Virginia Breeze Piedmont Express and Capital Connector intercity bus routes. The route will also directly connect to North Carolina’s Mountaineer East-West Route.

“Through planning studies and surveys, we identified a great need for additional connectivity between Greensboro and Danville,” explained Brennon Fuqua, director of the NCDOT’s Integrated Mobility Division, in a statement. “We’re pleased to coordinate with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and Sunway Charters to offer a new route that will directly connect with two current Virginia Breeze routes.”

[Editor’s note: NCDOT and Greyhound recently expanded bus service to Elizabeth City State University or ECSU so more people can easily access state and national intercity bus networks.]

NCDOT noted that this new route will allow North Carolinians in the Piedmont Triad greater access to destinations like Washington, D.C., and the cities of Richmond and Charlottesville in Virginia. The route will allow Virginians greater access to the Piedmont Triad region in North Carolina as well, the agency said.

“This partnership between North Carolina and Virginia underscores the importance of collaboration in expanding transportation networks that benefit our communities,” emphasized Tiffany Robinson, director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. “The Triad-Danville Connector provides a seamless link for travelers, enhancing access to vital destinations across both states and demonstrating our shared commitment to creating convenient, reliable and interconnected mobility options.”

The new Triad-Danville Connector also highlights ongoing work NCDOT’s Integrated Mobility Division, or IMD, has been doing to increase transportation options and access to new destinations. IMD has also ensured that new stops, routes and schedules align with other available transportation modes, like NC By Train, the state’s intercity passenger rail service and Amtrak, which provides passenger rail service nationwide.

Other state departments of transportation serving other regions of the country have been enhancing bus service offerings as well.

For example, in November 2024, the Ohio Department of Transportation issued grants of more than $17.5 million in grants to public transportation providers in rural and urban areas of the state to help improve workforce mobility.

Those grants went to transit agencies in 16 counties through its Ohio Workforce Mobility Partnership Program or OWMP; supporting 33 transit projects that increase the ease and efficiency of transporting residents to economically significant employment centers or places of employment outside of their home communities.

And in October 2024, the Connecticut Department of Transportation launched a new “Tap & Ride” pilot program that allows customers to pay for bus fares by tapping their Visa or Mastercard branded debit card, credit card, or mobile wallet at contactless payment readers on River Valley Transit and CTtransit Meriden Division buses.

The agency said this project marks a major step in “modernizing public transportation” statewide; providing a seamless and secure way for customers to quickly pay while boarding the bus in select service areas, with no downloads or signups required.