On Saturday, March 7, the Regional Transportation Commission celebrated the five-year anniversary of the Virginia Line.
It’s a late afternoon at the 4th street station, people walk around, some talk with others while waiting for the bus. Some just sit in silence. Nearby, buses come and go.
Among the many routes offered is the Virginia Line — one of the most used routes in the City of Reno.
Bus commuter Cory Sawyer uses the Virginia Line to get to work, but there’s another reason he prefers riding the bus.
“I get anxious around driving and I don’t like driving, so I prefer this even if it’s a little unreliable. It still means I don’t have to drive,” Sawyer said.
After taking it nearly every day for some time, he’s seen how much others rely on it to get to work and do things like grocery shop and go to doctor’s appointments.
“I see a lot of people who are desperate and who don’t have ways to travel,” he said.
The Virginia Line is one of two rapid transit lines in Reno. These buses arrive roughly every 10 minutes instead of the expected 30 minutes on the other routes. Getting people to take the bus isn’t always easy, especially in a car centric society, said RTC executive director Bill Thomas.
“We can’t make people ride the bus, so the goal is to make it convenient enough,” he said.
Ridership for this route has steadily increased. This is due in part to the frequency and reliability, Thomas said. In 2024 the Virginia Line carried 1,390,583 million passengers. Nic Alexander has been taking the Virginia Line for about six months.
“I’m going through a DUI right now, so I have no other choice,” he said.
He takes it almost every day, commuting between multiple jobs and occasionally to group counseling.
