Blacksburg Transit provides safe, courteous, reliable, accessible and affordable public transportation to the citizens of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech and partnering communities within the New River Valley. Blacksburg Transit began operations in 1983 with six 30 foot buses, one van and seven full time staff operating out of a trailer. Total ridership for the first year of service was 690,000. Today BT serves a diverse customer base in the New River Valley through a variety of public transportation services including: fixed route, demand response, senior based transportation, commuter shuttles, paratransit, and connector services to regional transportation providers. Ridership for fiscal year 2014 exceeded 3.6 million passenger trips.