August 25, 2025
Y’all know that we have transit in Crozet, right?
Check out the schedule for the Crozet Connect here.
People who use Crozet Connect love it. The more people who use it, the better for all of us in and around Crozet.
“The Crozet bus service is a real gem. It saved me when I had an unexpected car repair delay downtown and my other option would have been Uber/Lyft – and now I’m thinking about how to use it more often for the daily commute. It takes a few minutes longer than driving, sure, but it’s relaxing to let someone else battle traffic, it saves gas and wear and tear on my vehicle, and you can’t beat the price.”
“We just moved to Crozet this summer, and I work downtown. I’ve ridden the Crozet East Connect several times, primarily to avoid having two vehicles downtown for an evening event. Brilliant. The majority of riders work at/around UVA ‘s medical center, and what a convenient solution this is! I need to transfer to a regular CAT route to get where I need to go, but that’s easy.”
“This service saved my family so much money and time over the course of a couple years. There are so many UVA health workers in Crozet and this keeps traffic from getting exponentially worse as well.”
“I would like us to be able to add a few more convenient stops. Quite a few of the workers at Harris Teeter and the shops at Cloverlawn could really benefit from a stop that happens right in that area.”
A sampling of the routes (there are more)
A few quick thoughts on bus for transit vs cars:
The more people riding Crozet Connect, the fewer cars on the roads, meaning less congestion for all of us.
Cars impose heavy costs on both your wallet (fuel, insurance, upkeep) and the public (building, maintaining roads, pollution, and congestion — see 240/250).
And yes, I used ChatGPT for this:
Virginia-Specific Cost Comparison: Cars vs. Bikes vs. Transit
| Mode | Personal Cost in Virginia | Infrastructure Cost per Mile in Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Car | ~$24,970/year — average annual cost to own and operate in Virginia (includes gas, insurance, repairs, etc.) vatransit.theclimatecollaborative.orgReddit+8Nasdaq+8WANADA+8<br>Repair costs alone: ~$401/year LendingTree | — |
| Bicycle | ~$120/year to operate a bicycle (Richmond estimate from League of American Bicyclists) Richmond | Buffered bike lane: $85,000–$320,000 per mile Virginia Department of Transportation<br>Shared?use path: ~$1.4 million per mile (e.g., VDOT figures) vatransit.theclimatecollaborative.org+6Virginia Department of Transportation+6Axios+6 |
| Bus / Transit | FREE (to riders) in Crozet | Shared infrastructure; per-rider cost drops when many ride the same roads—no direct per-mile cost available |
Key Takeaways
- Car ownership in Virginia is costly—nearly $25,000 annually, with auto repairs alone averaging $401 per year.
- Bicycles are vastly cheaper, costing only about $120 per year to operate in places like Richmond.
- Infrastructure for bicycles has a broad cost range: simple buffered bike lanes fall between $85,000 and $320,000 per mile, while more elaborate shared-use paths can cost up to $1.4 million per mile.
- Transit infrastructure is cost-effective, as existing roads carry more passengers per dollar than cars.