Popular Downtown Shuttle Service Considers Short Pump Expansion

The owner of the popular To the Bottom and Back, Inc. (2BNB) bus service in Richmond is considering expanding his service into Short Pump. Jim Porter told the Citizen that he’s had preliminary discussions with a local business that may consider partial sponsorship of such service, which could operate only in that region or possibly shuttle […]

March 30, 2011; 4:01 PM • by Tom Lappas

Porter, 43, began the service in late summer 2009 as a way to serve mostly younger riders who wanted to travel to and from restaurants and bars in the Fan and Shockoe Bottom. A primary goal was to prevent drunk-driving among bar-goers.

He now runs routes there three evenings a week, Thursdays through Saturdays, and recently began a new Saturday daytime tourism route to serve the museum district. 2BNB buses shuttle as many as 5,000 people each week to and from destinations, Porter said.

Porter is interested in receiving feedback from residents of the Far West End and area businesses that might be interested in supporting a new venture there.

He envisions a circular route that might make stops at several Short Pump apartment complexes, take riders to the Short Pump Town Center, the Regal Short Pump 14 movie theaters and other local restaurants and shopping destinations, then return them home afterwards.

If residents expressed an interest in taking shuttles downtown and back, Porter says he’d be open to that possibility, too.

“If there’s something they wanted [in Short Pump],” he said, “we could do it.”

Read the full article from the Henrico Citizen >>