LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Hopper is the only free bus that circulates downtown Lynchburg at night throughout the week. Its future could be short.
"It is disappointing that services are not being utilized as we had hoped. I mean, we can't force people to use the bus," Brian Booth, general manager of the Greater Lynchburg Transportation Company, said.
In hopes of revving up the Hill City's downtown experience, The Hopper was born out of the Smart Scale Program. The grant helps fund projects for transportation services.
"We are working with the state, the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, specifically, to do an analysis which would see what other types of service would potentially be beneficial to improve the ridership," Booth said.
City officials said they haven't seen an increase in ridership the in close to two years the bus has been available. They add on average, 120 to 150 people ride The Hopper each month.
"Mostly, we're seeing that ridership on Friday and Saturday night. It's the reason we're looking to eliminate Monday through Thursday," Booth said.
The hashtag "#SavetheHopper" has been created on social media, with users hoping the city doesn't discontinue the bus. But a public meeting for people who use it could determine the future of the bus.
"As far as discontinuing the service, I can't say that definitely at this point," Booth said.
The meeting will take place at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 6 at the Kemper Street station.