The Virginia Breeze bus line, the state’s intercity service offers four routes. (Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation)
Starting next summer, the Virginia Breeze bus line will offer customers the state’s first east-west bi-directional bus service, from Harrisonburg to Virginia Beach, via the Tidewater Current.
The Tidewater Current will run year-round and make stops at Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, Williamsburg, New Kent, Richmond, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, according to a recent announcement by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
Jennifer DeBruhl, the outgoing director for DRPT, told the Mercury in March that there has been increasing demand for transportation options to travel across the commonwealth. She said the route name Tidewater Current is derived from the Hampton Roads region’s former moniker and represents a connection to Virginia’s coast.
“As I conclude my time as DRPT Director, this route expansion is not just a project, but a legacy that I am proud to leave behind,” said DeBruhl in a May 21 statement. “I am grateful to have been a part of this journey from the beginning and to have helped connect underserved communities throughout the commonwealth.”
The Tidewater Current was one of two bus routes being considered by the board. The alternative was a longer route that would have cost the state about $572,000 and included stops in Suffolk, Petersburg and Richmond’s Staples Mills area, a transportation hub which is also home to Amtrak’s most-used train station in the Southeast.
More passengers are projected to use the Tidewater Current route, which will need $506,010 in annual operating costs.
The service is funded through the Federal Transit Administration’s Intercity Bus Program, ticket sales, and I-81 improvement funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation.
A one-way ride on the Tidewater Current is estimated to take less than seven hours. Ticket prices have yet to be determined.
The Breeze has generated nearly 220,000 rides in its history and ridership increased by 10% from 2023 to 2024, according to DRPT. Out-of-state travel connections have also increased by 53% during the same period.
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