Riders won’t have to worry about paying for the bus anytime soon. 

Ashley Potter, spokesperson for the Greater Richmond Transit Company, told The Richmonder Wednesday that zero-fare will remain in place for fiscal year 2026, pending approval of the city and GRTC budgets.

“Fiscal year 2026 is pretty much on lock at this point,” she said, referring to the budget that begins this July. 

The company, which is co-owned by and has transit systems running through Richmond city, as well as Henrico and Chesterfield counties, is waiting for the ultimate approval from the board to adopt the budget on May 20. Potter hesitated in providing specifics of what will be funding zero-fare in the upcoming budget, but firmly stated that GRTC is getting funding sources together to keep the program going for the upcoming year.

Even if GRTC were to remove free fares, Potter said it could take up to two years for riders to actually begin paying after making such a decision, noting that fare buses and payment systems have been removed from buses, and operators would need to be trained again.

“There’s a whole process we’d have to go through and it would certainly take some time,” she said.

GRTC introduced zero-fare during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce contact between bus drivers and riders, and since then, the program has remained in place. Potter said GRTC has seen increased ridership due to it.

What helped keep the program in place was the state's Transit Ridership Incentive Program (TRIP), an $8 million grant from the Department of Rail and Public Transportation. The grant was in place from 2023 to 2025, decreased over time, and required local funders to match some of the money. VCU was a local matcher, providing $3.8 million for the three years. This year, the university decided to not continue contributing. GRTC was also matching the grant with $8.5 million over the three years. 

Keeping zero-fare in place results in a $6.8 million loss, which is 6% of GRTC’s total proposed budget for fiscal year 2026. Mayor Danny Avula announced in late March that his proposed city budget will include $9.4 million for the agency, which is an increase of $171,714 over last year. 

Potter said that GRTC is looking at keeping zero-fare in place long-term after fiscal year 2026 by finding “community partners who believe in equitable, free transportation for the Richmond region.”

But for the foreseeable future, Potter said the company and board members are “100% committed to maintaining zero fare.”

This article was updated to note that the cost for zero-fare is 6% of GRTC's recently proposed budget and that it could take up to, not at least, two years to remove free-fares.

Contact Reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin at vifatusin@richmonder.org