Bus Boost

Published on January 22, 2024

First was the transition from the horse and buggy to the Model T. Then, the Commodore 64 took the place of the typewriter. Now, there’s another upgrade coming to Winchester. 

In March, the City of Winchester will roll out a new on-demand ride-sharing service called “WinReady.” Think Uber or Lyft but with a twist: the service will be operated by Winchester Transit and offered free of charge through June 2024, at least.

With WinReady, residents will no longer need to wait for a bus, transfer routes, or walk long distances to bus stops. Instead, residents will conveniently schedule a WinReady ride from an app on their phone or by calling the Dispatch Center. Like Uber or Lyft, they will be picked up at or near their location and taken directly to their destination. 

WinReady is an example of a new form of public transit service sweeping the globe called microtransit. Initially developed to address dwindling public transit ridership numbers, microtransit improves riders’ experiences while utilizing public resources more efficiently

Transportation data scientist Jerome Mayaud has a creative way of describing microtransit: “Imagine Uber and a city bus had a baby.” 

According to City Manager Dan Hoffman, who initially saw microtransit’s potential to transform public transit in Winchester, WinReady’s biggest impact will be lower costs for riders—in both time and money. 

As Dan explained to a recent conference of local government innovators, “We’ll start measuring [WinReady] in terms of what is the cost to get to food? What is the cost to get to school? What is the cost to get to employment?” 

Under the City’s existing bus system, riders wait up to 70 minutes between buses. With WinReady, the wait time should shrink to around 10 to 15 minutes. For example, it currently takes a rider about 84 minutes to go from downtown Winchester to the Walmart on Pleasant Valley Road. Under WinReady, it will take 16 minutes on average. 

“So, suddenly, for a rider of choice… (public transit) becomes a much more viable option” for Winchester residents considering public transportation, said Dan. About 650 Winchester households do not have a car, suggesting at least 30 percent of City residents would benefit from lower barriers to using public transit. 

And this kind of increased mobility could bring other benefits to the community. More employees making it to work. 

As WinReady is launched, the City will reduce the number of fixed bus routes from eight to one “Loop Route” that circles the City. (The City’s existing bus route to Laurel Ridge Community College will stay the same.) 

The City is also partnering with microtransit tech company Via to roll out the WinReady app, ride scheduling, and many other facets of the new service. 

Initially, the service will operate from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday. The service will be limited to Winchester city limits. 

City staff know that residents will likely have questions about WinReady and how it will operate. Riders can go to winchesterva.gov/winready for updates on the rollout of the new service or contact Kenny at Kenneth.johnson@ winchesterva.gov or 540-667-2230. 

“We ask everyone to consider giving WinReady a try once it is operational,” said Transportation Operations Manager Kenny. “We think you’ll like it!”

Less student truancy. More access to fresh foods and shopping opportunities. Less traffic congestion. And so on. 

Longtime Winchester Transit customer Jennifer Murphy is excited about WinReady. “WinReady will make it so much easier to get around town, especially for those of us who can’t walk long distances. I can’t wait for the service to be up and running,” she said. 

As fantastic as WinReady promises to be, the Winchester Transit team knows that the new service will only be impactful if residents know how to utilize it. 

“We are committed to helping folks download the WinReady app or know how to call our Dispatch Center so they can schedule a ride,” said City Transportation Operations Manager Kenny Johnson. “We will be holding a series of public workshops in February, March, and April to ensure that our existing and new riders feel comfortable with the new service.”