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Group advocating for better bus schedule in Hampton Roads

One group is speaking at the Newport News City Council meeting, calling on council to expand bus services in the city.

It's a growing concern for many people in Hampton Roads, including Jacqueline McIntyre.

McIntyre's said there's a lack of service provided by HRT. She's depended on the bus service for five years now but said the buses aren't reliable.

“If I was supposed to be at work at eight and it doesn't come until 10, my employer doesn't understand. They want us on time,” McIntyre said. “It can mess up my employment.”

McIntyre isn't alone. Jay Johnson said sometimes the buses don't come at all.

“We have veterans who have missed appointments because the buses weren't running on schedule,” Johnson said.

McIntyre and Johnson are part of the non-profit Virginia Organizing. They and several more people are voicing their concerns to Newport News City Council Tuesday night.

The group said they want buses to run more frequently, and HRT to add more routes. They're also highlighting the shortage of bus drivers.

HRT leaders are working on a project to provide better bus service, but they say they need help from the different cities.

According to HRT, it completed more than 912,000 trips between July 2018 to August 2019 but had more than 18,000 missed trips.

HRT officials agree, one of their challenges is finding qualified workers.

The Transit Transformation Project looks at creating a better regional bus system. HRT leaders are advocating for new regional standards, which include uniform service times, a better span of service and more frequent service.

However, they said it requires each city to get together with HRT to look at funding Hampton Roads Transit differently, because, it's HRT that delivers the service that the cities pay for.

McIntyre said they won't stop until something changes.

“I'm really confident something will change, that's why we're here,” McIntyre said.

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