Sean Hill, executive director of the Kanawha Valley Regional Transit Authority, talks about coming changes while sitting in a KRTplus sprinter van in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä on Oct. 8, 2025.
Allison Wallace (left), the Kanawha Valley Regional Transit Authority's communications director, and Rebecca Atkins, a KRT driver and its operations manager, walk past a KRTplus sprinter van in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.
Rebecca Atkins, a Kanawha Valley Regional Transit Authority driver and its operations manager, drives a KRTplus sprinter van in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.
Allison Wallace (left), the Kanawha Valley Regional Transit Authority's communications director, and Rebecca Atkins, a KRT driver and its operations manager, walk past a KRTplus sprinter van in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.
Riders of those routes will be able to use KRTplus, the on-demand microtransit service, which has serviced those areas for more than a year. On Monday, the program will expand into the Southridge area, Kanawha City and South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
This map shows the KRTplus zone expansion that will begin Monday, Oct. 13, 2025.
KRTplus already runs in the West ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä zone, including ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä's West Side and the Edgewood area; the East ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä zone, including the East End and areas north around Greenbrier Street and West Virginia International Yeager Airport; and the South Hills zone.
By the numbers
KRT has already implemented several changes to decrease an $885,000 budget deficit, including fare changes and cutting Sunday service.
The Beech Avenue and South Hills route cuts were among several proposed this summer. In September, the Beech Avenue route had 241 trips, and the South Hills route had 201 trips.
KRT fixed-route ridership ranges from about 200 riders to more than 20,000 riders, according to May data.
In September, KRTplus had 810 trips in the West ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä zone, which covers the Beech Avenue route, and 124 trips in the South Hills zone, which covers the South Hills route.
The East ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä zone had 1,273 trips in September.
Sean Hill, executive director of the Kanawha Valley Regional Transit Authority, talks about coming changes while sitting in a KRTplus sprinter van in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä on Oct. 8, 2025.
Sean Hill, KRT's executive director, said Wednesday that the KRT board was methodical about the process for removing “underperforming†routes, including holding several public hearings about different options.
KRT has operated KRTplus for over a year, to make sure there are enough drivers to perform the service once the routes were cut, Hill said.
“We wanted to maintain a high completion rate so, if someone asked for a ride with KRTplus, they knew they were going to get it,†he said. “And we also wanted to make sure we took enough time to be comfortable with the data to know we could expand to three new zones.â€
KRT is prepared for an influx of KRTplus riders next week in the West ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä and South Hills zones.
KRTplus ridership has gone down some since the free pilot project service ended and trips began costing $1.50, Hill said. The cost includes a free transfer to a fixed-route bus line within an hour of pick-up.
Hill said he looks forward to seeing the data on KRTplus rides, once the fixed routes stop.
“As long as the fixed route is still there, you’re not going to get real information on what the adoption is, because why would you change if you don’t have to,†he said.
Rebecca Atkins, a Kanawha Valley Regional Transit Authority driver and its operations manager, drives a KRTplus sprinter van in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.
LAURA BILSON | Gazette-Mail
Rebecca Atkins, who has worked for KRT for 10 years, said she thought KRTplus was a great idea when it was first announced, since it provides more service areas and rider freedom.
“It’s actually going to provide more riders — I believe — getting out of the hollow area[s] that we don’t run or the hill routes that we don’t run,†she said. “I truly think this will help get more people on our fixed-route services.â€
Atkins is a bus driver and operations manager. Wednesday, she drove an eight-passenger sprinter van around ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä to pick up KRTplus customers.
KRT bus drivers are trained to drive the buses and the smaller KRTplus vehicles that are all accessible for mobility devices.
Atkins said she’s excited to meet new riders with KRTplus. She's developed a relationship with her regular riders and worries about them when they don’t show up as normal, especially her older passengers.
“You might be the only person that person sees for a week or two,†she said.
CLICK HERE to follow the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Gazette-Mail and receive
