CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state’s largest public transportation system will be lending a helping hand during Independence Day festivities in the Capital City.
The Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority (KRT) will offer free shuttle rides in downtown Charleston from July 2-5. Rides will run every 30 minutes throughout each day from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Two four-day Independence Day celebrations are expected to bring thousands of people to the area. The Charleston Sternwheel Regatta on the riverfront is joined this year by West Virginia’s America250 celebration at the state Capitol Complex.
KRT Executive Director Sean Hill said it’s the fifth straight year that the authority has offered free rides for Regatta. This year, however, KRT is also connecting people from the Regatta to the America250 celebrations with its shuttles.
The normal shuttle will run from the Patrick Street Plaza on the West Side to the City Center on Laidley Street. Hill said the shuttle will make stops for pickups as it makes its way from Big Lots to downtown Charleston.
The new shuttle will begin at the West Virginia Culture Center on the East End. This shuttle will also conclude at the City Center on Laidley. The East End route includes a stop at Laidley Field, along with stops all along Virginia and Quarrier streets.
“Regardless of if you’re coming down to Charleston to attend the West Virginia Celebrates Freedom festival or if you’re attending the Regatta, you’re going to be able to have a ride every thirty minutes with KRT for free, any day of the event,” Hill said.
The shuttle services for both routes will run until 11 p.m. every day, Hill emphasized. He noted that some of the Capitol Complex festivities will conclude before that time but said KRT wants to accommodate everyone — especially those who park at Laidley Field.
Hill said KRT plans to run the shuttles every thirty minutes but is open to adjust if there are huge turnouts for rides.
“We’ve always been responsive if the city reaches out, or the Regatta folks, and say ‘hey, we’re getting feedback that there are people waiting on rides,'” Hill said. “We kind of ebb and flow with the demand.”
Additionally, if there isn’t sufficient demand for both shuttles to run, Hill said the authority will back off to avoid overserving the event.
The goal, Hill said, is to make sure people won’t have to wait longer than 30 minutes for a ride.
KRT is using its bigger buses for the shuttle service. Hill said the “trolley,” a standard KRT bus that has been converted to look like a trolley, will even have some America 250 decorations on it.
With temperatures expected in the 90s and heat index values exceeding 100, Hill assured people that all of the KRT buses will include air conditioning. He said conversations have taken place with the authority’s maintenance team to ensure that every AC unit works.
Along with that, Hill said KRT will have a cool-down area downtown.
“Anytime the temperature gets up in these dangerous levels, we have cooling buses that we set up down at the City Center,” Hill said. “That’s another aspect there, on Laidley, individuals can come and cool down. I expect those temperatures to be in dangerous levels for the entirety of the event.”
Hill encouraged people who need to cool down to hop on one of the buses. He said it’s a great, free way to get out of the sun and see the Capital City in the process.
The annual service at Regatta, and this year with the America250 celebrations, is a “key aspect” of KRT, Hill said. He said some people may not need KRT’s service for grocery store runs or doctor’s appointments, but this service can reach and help them this weekend.
Hill said the authority wants to give back during these events through providing shuttle services. By doing that, Hill said it creates a positive impression about KRT in people’s minds. That way, when the Public Safety Levy comes around again on a future ballot, Hill said those people are more inclined to vote “for” the levy.
The shuttle service is all about making the Regatta and Capital City Celebration even more of a success, Hill said, especially because getting around becomes more difficult when temperatures are hot.
Read more about KRT’s Regatta and America250 shuttle here.