VIRGINIA BEACH — Summer is right around the corner and so are those iconic sky blue Virginia Beach trolleys.
The VB Wave trolley service returns for the summer season Sunday with an extended route and a new app to pay for fares.
Trolley ridership was up 59% last year as compared with 2023, according to Hampton Roads Transit, which operates the routes. New this year, Route 31, which services campgrounds and the Virginia Aquarium, will extend from Rudee Inlet to Atlantic Avenue and 18th Street.
Also new this season, riders can purchase tickets through the new GoMobile app with a credit card. Mobile ticketing is only available for The VB Wave trolley — not other HRT services.
An adult single trip on VB Wave costs $2; a one-day pass is $4.50, and a three-day pass is $8. Discounted fees are available. Children ride for free while accompanied by a fare-paying adult.
VB Wave also connects to HRT bus lines, including Routes 20 and 960 express service to downtown Norfolk.
The trolleys, augmented by regular HRT buses, serve three routes:
Route 30: Extends from one end of Atlantic Avenue to the other. Stops along the way at shops, restaurants, museums and more with service about every 15 minutes from 8 a.m.-2 a.m. daily through the Neptune Festival, Sept. 26-28.
Route 31 (aquarium/campground): This route is being extended from Rudee Inlet to Atlantic Avenue and 18th Street from campgrounds and tennis courts, fun parks and the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. Route 31 will operate daily every 20 minutes from 9:30 a.m.-11:10 p.m. through Labor Day and again on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only from Sept. 5 through the Neptune Festival.
Route 35 (Bayfront Shuttle): Services between Parks Avenue/19th Street up Pacific Avenue to Shore Drive/Pleasure House Road. Route 35 services the Oceanfront, First Landing State Park, Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E., Fort Story at Atlantic Avenue and 88th Street, North End beaches, Chesapeake Bay beaches and bayfront restaurants on Shore Drive. Operates daily, about every 30 minutes, from 8 a.m.-12:30 a.m. through Labor Day and on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only through the Neptune Festival.
For more information about the VB Wave Trolley, including fares and maps, visit https://gohrt.com/modes/vb-wave-bayfront-shuttle/.
To use HRT’s new interactive system map, visit https://gohrt.com/system-map.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com