New campaign urges Virginians to “Rediscover Your Ride”

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - As Virginia continues recover from the pandemic, the state is launching a campaign encouraging people to use public transportation.

The multi-media campaign will urge Virginians to “Rediscover Your Ride.”

The goal is to reach people who stopped using public transportation during the pandemic, and those who are still hesitant to return.

Jennifer DeBruhl is Acting Director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

“It’s aimed at really encouraging the public to safely and confidently return to public transportation to help them get to where they’re going,” Debruhl told WDBJ7 in an interview Monday morning, “whether that’s their local transit in their community to get to work or to school, or more long-distance services like our Virginia Breeze bus lines or Amtrak.”

State officials hope the Transit Recovery Initiative will strengthen confidence in public transit and help increase ridership to pre-pandemic levels.