THE ROANOKE REGION OF VIRGINIA

Commuting between the Roanoke and New River Valleys is getting smarter. In a big way.

The Smart Way, a regional public transportation service operated by Valley Metro, on December 17 introduced the first of its four new, larger 57-seat motor coaches manufactured by Motor Coach Industries (MCI) that will replace the current fleet of 32-seat buses traveling between Roanoke, Christiansburg and Blacksburg.

The new, 45-foot-long coaches feature more space, additional luggage capacity, overhead luggage bins, wireless Internet access, six 10-inch video monitors and LED lighting. There’s even a wheel chair lift and bike rack on each bus.

Smart Way ridership is up 6.2 percent this year, and officials believe the new buses will help drive additional demand. Through October, 48,927 commuters have traveled the Smart Way this year – an average of nearly 5,000 per month. Since Smart Way began service in 2004, the number of commuters is up almost 150 percent.

Four buses are joining the Smart Way fleet. Each costs $490,000, paid for through federal, state and local sources. The coaches go into service January 4.

The Smart Way links the Roanoke Region and the New River Valley for a current fare of only $3 each way. It begins service at Campbell Court in downtown Roanoke, with stops at Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke Regional Airport, two park-and-ride lots along Interstate-81 at exits 140 and 118A, the Christiansburg K-mart, the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, Main Street in downtown Blacksburg and Squires Student Center on the Virginia Tech campus. Maps, schedules and additional information are available at www.smartwaybus.com.

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