Denise Johnson’s grandmother always made sure her children and grandchildren knew how to catch the public bus in case a car wasn’t available. She taught them you never know when you might need it to get to work, church, school or shopping. Denise took that lesson to heart and now she’s proud to say she’s ridden on all of the Hampton Roads Transit’s 71 routes!

“I love taking the bus,’ Johnson said. “You meet people, you learn things and you don’t have to worry about finding a place to park.”

She also chairs the Transit Riders Advisory Committee. But she’s never been on an electric bus. Not yet. And she can’t wait. So Mrs. Johnson was one of the first to arrive at HRT’s ribbon cutting on Friday for HRT’s first six electric buses, which are also the first electric public transit buses in Virginia. The celebration a small, socially distanced crowd of distinguished supporters, including Governor Northam, elected officials and Dominion Energy representatives.

“Zero-emission vehicles fit hand-in-glove with Dominion Energy’s mission of building a clean and sustainable energy future,” said Robert Blue, Dominion Energy’s next President and CEO. “Our goal is to reach net-zero carbon and methane emissions by 2050, but we also intend to help our customers and the communities we serve shrink their own carbon footprints. We are pleased to support this effort by HRT to transition to a cleaner future.”

Johnson was also thrilled that Dominion Energy stepped up to sponsor the first six buses and help make it a reality.

“People don’t know how important Dominion Energy is,” she said emphatically. “None of it works without you!”

The new electric buses will travel from downtown Norfolk to the Virginia Beach oceanfront, the busiest public bus route in the state. HRT will go through a series of tests with the buses, before passengers are allowed. The goal is to get them open to the public by the holidays.