Piedmont Area Regional Transit (PART), operated by Roanoke Area Dial-A-Ride (RADAR), has contracted with the City of Martinsville and Henry County to provide public transit service to those communities since 2009. While the system began with two routes, a third route, known as the “Southern Route,” had been added in 2017, and includes destinations along and in close proximity to the U.S. Route 220 corridor south of Martinsville.
Recently while on a conference call with PART staff and officials from Martinsville and Henry County, I was briefed on some updates to the service that will be beneficial to our region.
- Since COVID, PART had suspended its fare and has chosen to operate on a fare-free basis since. PART continues to offer fare-free service on all of its routes in Martinsville and Henry County. This is beneficial to our community, since not only do riders save money by not having to pay a fare, but there’s no need to worry whether you have the correct change or tokens to ride; you just climb aboard!
- Also since COVID, PART has been operating at half of its passenger capacity to enable riders to socially distance from one-another during the pandemic. During the conference call, it was determined that PART will now return to full capacity, though masks will still be available for riders who would prefer to wear them. Now you can ride without the fear that the bus will bypass you because of too many riders on board at a given time.
Other important points are summarized in the following two bullet points.
- The North County (Collinsville) Route was adjusted slightly to now include service to Patriot Centre Industrial Park. So, if you or someone you know lives in the Martinsville/Henry County area and you think this service adjustment could benefit you or them, consider trying PART for your commute to and from Patriot Centre.
- As a RIDE Solutions member, you’ll earn 100 points for each transit trip you log into the RIDE Solutions app, which can be redeemed
for discounts on shopping (including online), dining, activities, and services; points can also be redeemed to enter raffles to win gift cards. And, these rewards are not only restricted to commuters, as you can log trips and earn points by taking transit for trips to the store, the doctor’s appointment, etc.! And it doesn’t matter how long or short the trip is. If you have not yet downloaded the free RIDE Solutions app, do so for free by visiting ridesolutions.org. Signing up takes just a minute or two, and you’ll be awarded 1,000 points (equivalent to 10 trips worth of rewards) just for signing up!
The days and hours of PART’s operations are Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and again, the fares remain suspended at this time. All buses are wheelchair-accessible, and the bus driver may deviate up to ¾-mile from the route for disabled persons, with 24-hours advanced notice.
The PART system consists of three routes: the Martinsville Route, the North County (Collinsville) Route, and the Southern Route. Riders can easily transfer from one route to another, as each bus converges simultaneously at WalMart/Lowe’s Home Center in Martinsville for this very purpose.
Stops located along the three routes are shown in the table below, while a system-wide route map is shown immediately below it. For information, including route schedules, please visit https://radartransit.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022-PART-route-brochure.pdf.
