Our Community
Valley Metro Milestones
We are delighted to recognize outstanding employees who have demonstrated their commitment to Valley Metro through years of service.
Congratulations to Operator Charles Saunders for reaching a milestone of 50 years serving the Roanoke Valley. Charles started in transit in 1973, two years before Valley Metro was officially formed! Through the years at Valley Metro, his talents and efforts have been essential to our success. His dedication does not go unrecognized; we take pride in his accomplishment of 50 years.
In 2023, we also recognize other milestones: Operators Myron DeBerry and Arnetta Saunders for 48 years and 39 years of service, respectively. In our maintenance department, John Thompson and William Thompson have been with Valley Metro for 45 years and 41 years, respectively. We value the commitment of all our staff.
Let’s celebrate Charles, Myron, Arnetta, Johnny, and Wayne for their devotion to helping the Roanoke Valley get where it’s going!
Transit Equity Day Post
All Valley Metro buses will be fare free on Saturday, February 4, 2023 in honor of Transit Equity Day.
Transit Equity Day is recognized as a “National Day of Action” in honor of civil rights activist, Rosa Parks, on her birthday. In December of 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus. This sparked a citywide bus boycott resulting in the Supreme Court ruling that buses be integrated.
Valley Metro remembers Rosa Parks for her remarkable strength and bravery. Transit Equity Day promotes public transit as a civil right and a strategy to combat climate change.
VMGO has launched
IT’S OFFICIAL! Our app VMGO is now available for free at any app store. See your bus route, track any bus, and find estimated arrival times. VMGO provides up-to-the-minute alerts for each bus and route too. Visit www.vmgoapp.com or search VMGO at any app store to download today!
Third Street Station moves into Phase 2
Contruction at Third Street Station is now in phase 2. This phase shifts contruction from the building to the bus lanes and canopy along Norfolk Avenue. The building and the south canopy bus lanes are now open to the public. During phase 2, some buses will stop under the south canopy behind the building and some will stop along Salem Avenue in the front. Please see the signs at Third Street Station to find your bus.
Valley Metro Announces VMGO
Valley Metro is pleased to announce its new Real-time Transit Passenger Information (RTPI) service VMGO. Valley Metro’s VMGO RTPI service will be launched in two distinct phases – Phase I will provide real-time transit information for the Smart Way, Smart Way Express, and Star Line Trolley. The target go-live date is September 23rd . Phase II will provide real-time transit information for all Valley Metro services. The target for Phase II is Summer 2021.
VMGO will provide real-time bus stop departure times via a smartphone, personal computer, and by calling a dedicated landline phone number. The VMGO app for smartphone users can be downloaded at the Google Play store for Android users and App Store (iOS) for Apple users. Digital LED displays with transit bus stop information will be installed at higher volume bus stops. Please visit www.valleymetro.com or www.vmgoapp.com or call 540-982-2222 for more details about the new VMGO service.
2019 Art by Bus & Writer by Bus
Art by Bus & Writer by Bus information is available at the Ride Solutions website.
Art by Bus
Hotel Roanoke: A New Day Dawns - Eric Fitzpatrick
Tinker View of Carvins Cove - Nan Mahone Wellborn
V-Pass
Art On Bus
New Fare Boxes March 1, 2015
At last, an illustrated history of Roanoke streetcars!
A new history of Roanoke's streetcars has been published by the Historical Society of Western Virginia! The book, The Street Railways of Roanoke 1887-1948, contains more than 100 photos of Roanoke's streetcars in its 152 pages, priced at $14.95. It is now on sale in the gift shop on the first floor of Center in the Square and the Virginia Museum of Transportation gift shop.
James E. Dalmas, a Roanoke native and a graduate of Virginia Heights Elementary School, Jefferson High and Virginia Tech, is the author. He has researched streetcars in Roanoke and Baltimore for many years and he is a past president of Baltimore Streetcar Museum.
Take the Kids to the Library on a Valley Metro Bus
Find out about current activities and library events by calling the Main Roanoke Library at 853-2955 or check www.roanokeva.gov/library
Valley Metro wants to remind you and your family that a bus trip to the library is a great way to spend an afternoon! All seven of the city's libraries are accessible by bus. Please consult the following list for the one in your neighborhood:
Gainsboro Branch:
- Bus 15 (Outbound to Valley View Mall) or Bus 16 (Inbound)
- Bus 85 (Outbound to Peter's Creek) or Bus 86 (Inbound)
Jackson Park Branch:
- Bus 41 (Outbound to SE Roanoke) or Bus 42 (Inbound)
**Bus 42 offers a direct stop, after it leaves the 9th Street Industrial Park at 8:55 and 11:55am, or 1:55 and 3:55pm