Williamsburg Area Transit Authority

Williamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA) is a multi jurisdiction transportation agency providing transit bus and ADA Paratransit services in the City of Williamsburg, James City County, York County in the Historic Triangle area and Surry County, VA of the Virginia Peninsula subregion of Hampton Roads in southeastern Virginia. WATA operates 13 bus routes within the city and 2 counties, using a "hub and spoke" designed system using the intermodal Williamsburg Transportation Center and the James City County Walmart as hubs. Additionally, a connection to the City of Newport News and the Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) public transit bus system is provided on Route 1 serving U. S. Route 60 east by traveling into the western edge of Newport News and meeting 2 HRT's Routes at Lee Hall, Virginia. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of
WATA also operates replica (rubber tired) Trolley service (Route 14) between the College of William and Mary, High Street in Williamsburg, Virginia and New Town Williamsburg.

The services of Williamsburg Area Transit Authority are partially funded through rider fares, a form of user fees. The system is also funded by the partner local governments of the City of Williamsburg, James City County, and York County, as well as purchases of services by the College of William and Mary, Surry County, City of Newport News, Virginia, and Colonial Williamsburg, and other community organizations. WATA also receives State and Federal financial assistance from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), which is an agency within the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

WATA implemented an intelligent transportation system (ITS), called BusTime for their customers and route management. This ITS (BusTime) system includes a phone and PC optimized web site to find out when the next bus will arrive at any stop, automated alert system based on actual bus location, texting service to determine actual next bus arrival times and text alerts. WATA updates their stops and routes on a quarterly basis updating their ITS (BusTime) system and Google Maps. Colonial Williamsburg – Many WATA lines serve the Colonial Williamsburg (CW) area. For service to the CW Visitors Center, riders should use WATA's Route 3: Merrimac route. Possible Route 1 confusion – It is notable that Colonial Williamsburg, which operates its own fleet of grey and white colored transit buses and minibuses, also has a "Grey Line" route. This is not to be confused with WATA's Route 1 route for US Route 60 East which ends at Lee Hall. The WATA buses on that route are normally painted beige, white and burgundy in color, and clearly marked for WATA with the words "Williamsburg Area Transit Authority/WATA". Yellow Line: WATA dropped this line in Spring 2012, due to overlap with service from Colonial Williamsburg. The line used to run from the Williamsburg Transportation Center to Busch Gardens and Water Country USA. Passengers could catch the shuttle by riding Route 3 to the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center.

All buses are fully ADA accessible. Also, Paratransit service is provided to eligible individuals not able to use the accessible fixed route bus system.

WATA bus services operates Monday – Saturday, with reduced service on Sundays. On most James City County holidays, WATA operates on a reduced schedule, with no service on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.

In May 2008, Williamsburg Area Transit Authority announced that it had recently received a grant for three trolley replica type buses that will serve the local shopping areas of New Town, High Street, Richmond Road, Jamestown Road, and Merchants Square in Colonial Williamsburg. The Williamsburg Trolley began service in August 2009. The event was marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony at New Town. The trolley runs every day except on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Each of the trolley cars feature ornamental wooden seating, a cheerful, two toned red and blue exterior and bicycle racks. On warm days, the trolley has an open air atmosphere. Trolley drivers also point out historic sites, restaurants, and must visit attractions.

In 2011, WATA expanded its services to include a storefront location in the Williamsburg Outlet Mall on Richmond Road. The center acts as a hub for public information and waiting areas for passengers, and will eventually include ticket and bus fare sales. This change also coincided with the western hub moving to the Lightfoot Walmart store. Routes serving the Outlet Mall were modified to reflect the hub change, as well as extend service further out in Toano. In January 2015, WATA began a 3 year pilot route in the Jamestown area. The new Route 6:Jamestown route serves Jamestown Road, Jamestown Settlement, Greensprings Road, John Tyler Highway and travels on Rt. 199 back to Jamestown Rd. In October 2016, as a result of major route and schedule changes, Route 6 (Jamestown) added service to the Williamsburg Transportation Center via Jamestown Rd. Service was also discontinued along Greensprings Rd at that time.

In June 2016 WATA proposed several changes to its routes and schedules to improve service. Several hearings were held to solicit public input on the changes. The proposed changes went into effect in October 2016. Among the schedule changes were the hours of 30 minute frequency service from 6:30am–9:30am and 3:30pm–6:30pm on weekdays. Routes 1 and 2 would also extend their hours to 11pm. Frequency service ended on Route 7: Mooretown route, reverting it to hourly service only.