Valley Metro (Roanoke)
Encyclopedia
Valley Metro, the operational name for the Greater Roanoke Transit Company, is a local government-owned urban-suburban bus line based in Roanoke
, Virginia
with First Transit
providing the general and assistant general managers. The staff is employed by Southwest Virginia Transit Management Company. Valley Metro serves the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem
, the town of Vinton
and limited unincorporated portions of Roanoke County
. Valley Metro has a fleet of 44 buses and 7 paratransit
vehicles, and many lines originate and/or terminate at Campbell Court, a central bus station
in downtown Roanoke
which is also served by Greyhound
. Valley Metro also operates the Smart Way Bus which connects Roanoke to Christiansburg
, Blacksburg
and Virginia Tech.
It has been more than two years after the alleged acts occurred, and the local Roanoke news media has not updated the public on the matter in nine months. The U.S. Attorney's office has never brought an indictment nor issued a statement clearing Mr. Holdren or Mr. Wynn. It remains unclear as to whether the $55,000 in question was ever returned by First Transit, Mr. Holdren or Mr. Wynn.
As of June 2010.
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
with First Transit
First Transit
First Transit, a division of FirstGroup America, is a United States-based subsidiary of the United Kingdom-based FirstGroup. It provides contract public transit and paratransit services, transit management services and transit consulting throughout North America...
providing the general and assistant general managers. The staff is employed by Southwest Virginia Transit Management Company. Valley Metro serves the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem
Salem, Virginia
Salem is an independent city in Virginia, USA, bordered by the city of Roanoke to the east but otherwise adjacent to Roanoke County. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24,802 according to 2010 U.S. Census...
, the town of Vinton
Vinton, Virginia
Vinton is a town in Roanoke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 7,782 at the 2000 census. It hosted teams by three names in the ECHL in a custom built facility known as the LancerLot; after the roof collapsed during the Blizzard of 1993, the franchise moved to the Roanoke Civic...
and limited unincorporated portions of Roanoke County
Roanoke County, Virginia
Roanoke County is a county located in the U.S. state of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area and located within the Roanoke Region of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 85,778. As of 2010, the population was 92,376...
. Valley Metro has a fleet of 44 buses and 7 paratransit
Paratransit
Paratransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically mini-buses are used to provide paratransit service, but also share taxis and jitneys are important providers....
vehicles, and many lines originate and/or terminate at Campbell Court, a central bus station
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
in downtown Roanoke
Downtown Roanoke
Downtown is the central business district of Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Located geographically at the center of the city, Downtown began its development with the completion of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in 1882...
which is also served by Greyhound
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
. Valley Metro also operates the Smart Way Bus which connects Roanoke to Christiansburg
Christiansburg, Virginia
Christiansburg is a town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population was 21,041 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...
, Blacksburg
Blacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg is an incorporated town located in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 42,620 at the 2010 census. Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford are the three principal jurisdictions of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area which...
and Virginia Tech.
Controversy
In December 2008, it was reported that Chip Holdren, Valley Metro's Assistant General Manager, and Matt Wynn, the system's procurement officer, had been suspended due to an investigation into possible bid-rigging involving funds for an office renovation at Greater Roanoke Transit Company. The investigation involved $223,301 spent on furnishing and decorating Valley Metro's office and the award of contracts to Holdren's Interiors which is owned by Diane Holdren, the wife Mr. Holdren. The furniture used for the remodeling was at least $55,000 above competitive market pricing, the auditor's report found, and the total cost of the project exceeded its budget by 123 percent. Several persons involved with the scandal have since been fired, but as of May 2010, a federal criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney's office was reported to continue.It has been more than two years after the alleged acts occurred, and the local Roanoke news media has not updated the public on the matter in nine months. The U.S. Attorney's office has never brought an indictment nor issued a statement clearing Mr. Holdren or Mr. Wynn. It remains unclear as to whether the $55,000 in question was ever returned by First Transit, Mr. Holdren or Mr. Wynn.
Route list
Effective June 1, 2010 Valley Metro buses only stop at designated bus stops, as previous to this buses would stop at every corner. Many passengers have expressed disapproval of this new policy. Valley Metro officials state that the changes are necessary to keep buses on schedule as ridership has increased.As of June 2010.
- 11/12 - Valley View Mall to Campbell Court via Hershberger/Cove Roads
- 15/16 - Valley View Mall to Campbell Court via Grandview/Greenland Avenues
- 21/22 - Crossroads Mall to Campbell Court via Williamson RoadWilliamson RoadWilliamson Road is an approximately 8.0 mi long road in Roanoke City and Roanoke County, Virginia. The road runs from downtown Roanoke in the south through the Botetourt County line in the north. For the majority of its length Williamson Road carries U.S. Route 11...
- 25/26 - Crossroads Mall to Campbell Court via Hollins/Hershberger Roads
- 31/32 - Vinton to Campbell Court via Campbell Avenue/King Street
- 35/36 - Vinton to Campbell Court via Dale/Washington Avenues
- 41/42 - Southeast Roanoke to Campbell Court
- 51/52 - Tanglewood MallTanglewood MallTanglewood Mall is a shopping mall in southwest Roanoke County, Virginia. It originally opened for business in 1973. The mall is currently managed by Urban Retail Properties....
to Campbell Court via Avenham Avenue/Jefferson Street - 55/56 - Tanglewood Mall to Campbell Court via Franklin Rd/Colonial Ave
- 61/62 - Brambleton/Red Rock to Campbell Court
- 65/66 - Carlton/Grandin to Campbell Court
- 71/72 - Lewis Gale Hospital to Campbell Court
- 75/76 - Veterans Hospital to Campbell Court
- 81/82 - Salem to Campbell Court via Melrose Avenue (transfer to bus 91 at Goodwill Industries to go further into Salem)
- 85/86 - Peters Creek to Campbell Court
- 91/92 - Goodwill Industries (Salem location) to Lewis-Gale Hospital (also services VA Hospital)
- Smart Way - to Blacksburg/Virginia Tech
- Maroon Express - to Roanoke CollegeRoanoke CollegeRoanoke College is an private, coeducational, four-year liberal-arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The college is located in Salem, Virginia, a suburban independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia...
- Hollins Express - to Hollins UniversityHollins UniversityHollins University is a four-year institution of higher education, a private university located on a campus on the border of Roanoke County, Virginia and Botetourt County, Virginia...
- Ferrum Express - to Ferrum CollegeFerrum CollegeFerrum College is a private college in Ferrum, Virginia, USA, in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia. Ferrum College has the second-oldest environmental science program in the nation and was ranked 41st by US News and World Report in Comprehensive Colleges–Bachelor's for 2006....