GLTC moves to improve safety
Company officials expect the new Bradley Drive transfer center to be completed by the beginning of May
In an effort to improve and increase the safety of its bussing facilities, the Greater Lynchburg Transportation Company (GLTC) is relocating one of its major transfer centers and its main headquarters within the coming year, according to GLTC General Manager Karen Walton.
BUS STOP — The Greater Lynchburg Transportation System’s new location is safer for passengers with indoor amenities. Photo credit: Courtney Russo
She said that, after discussion in numerous GLTC board meetings over the past couple of years, her company has decided to move its current transfer station to a location on Bradley Street in Lynchburg, Va.
“The new transfer center is going to be a place for the busses to get off the road to pull in,” Walton said. “It’s safer for the passengers. Right now, we’re using the Plaza, which has no amenities at this point. The new transfer center is going to be a place for the busses to get off the road to pull in. It’s safer for the passengers.”
While GLTC may take more than a year to completely transfer its headquarters, the new transfer station is scheduled to be completed by the end of April or the beginning of May, according to Walton.
She said the new transfer center will be a major improvement from the current center at the Plaza Shopping Center on Memorial Avenue and will include new accommodations for both commuters and GLTC staff such as an indoor waiting area, vending machines, restrooms and an indoor service clerk.
“I think everybody is looking forward to the new transfer center,” Walton said in a recent interview with The News & Advance. “For me, what I’m looking forward to is how much easier it will be to get word out to the public. Right now, we can put signs and announcements up on the buses, but not everyone always sees those … Here, we’ll be able to put up big, old signs and take public comment. Communication will really lend itself well to the new transfer center compared to what we have now.”
According to Walton, GLTC is planning to relocate its headquarters from its current Lynchburg location on Kemper Street to an industrial location on Bradley Drive. Walton said the new location will be safer and more convenient for GLTC staff, especially during the night hours.
“We’ve purchased the property on Bradley Drive,” Walton said. “Next year, we’re starting construction. Right now (the Kemper Street location) is really old and run down, falling apart. Busses are jammed in here at nights, which is a safety issue.”
According to Walton, GLTC is currently about 60 percent finished with the design phase for the new headquarters.
In light of its relocation projects, GLTC will continue to serve as Liberty University’s primary public transportation service. According to GLTC Administrator Ted Sweet, GLTC busses have been running their current routes on Liberty’s campus for the past four years.
“The students need to get moved around, so (Liberty) got GLTC,” Sweet said.
GLTC began bussing students to and from local hotel locations before many of the current dorms were built, according to Sweet.
She also mentioned that the new transfer center location at the Plaza will be gated.
“Only busses will be going in there,” Sweet said. “No cars outside the university will be coming in.”
For more information about GLTC and its construction projects, visit gltconline.com.