News: Local Bus System Predicts 70% Increase in Operating Expenses

WATA boardings decline overall while ADA Paratransit ridership nearly doubles; bids due for $15M operations/maintenance facility; new northern transfer center planned

A Williamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA) bus travels in Williamsburg on a recent morning. The transit authority predicts a 70% increase in operating expenses over the next ten years. (Photo Credit: George Arbogust)

Over the next decade, the Williamsburg Area Transportation Authority (WATA) predicts total operation expenses will increase by an estimated 71% ($10M in 2025 vs. $17.1M in 2034). Added service represents the bulk of the additional money as system leadership focuses on decreasing the average wait time between buses on major routes and extending route coverage to core business and shopping districts.

According to the Authority’s 87-page FY2024-2034 Transit Strategic Plan (TSP), planned service expansion will require hiring an additional 20 full-time employees while adding almost 30,000 service hours to the regional public transit system each year.

In the document, WATA states that during the pandemic, the system “struggled, like most US transit agencies, to fully staff it…