PRESS & MEDIA

Jason Hall is the General Manager of our Richmond, Virginia terminal, the newest market in our service area.

Tell us about your background in the bus industry?
I got started in the bus business at 16 years old, due to my family owning James River Transportation, and have endured various roles through my career path. I worked part-time after school cleaning buses, gradually moving up to overseeing our Goodyear tire program, and technician’s apprentice full-time. From there I went to full on technician, and project manager for special projects. In October of 2011, I was asked to become operations manager of our new black car service located in the Richmond airport. A short year later, I acquired the Norfolk terminal in addition to Richmond. In March of 2020, I returned to our corporate office, back in the shop, as Director of Maintenance. In September of 2023, the James River Transportation acquisition took place by Academy Bus, and I accepted the General Manager of our Richmond terminal.

Have your responsibilities changed after Academy Bus acquired James River Transportation?

It is definitely a whole different task of responsibilities from maintenance to operations. A different mindset was needed to maintain my personal success, the success of my team, and the Richmond terminal as a whole. I don’t sit still very well, which allows me to constantly stay engaged with each person/ department daily. I maintain a very hands-on approach which has helped develop a good understanding of the business.

How has the transition to Academy been? Any significant challenges, as a General Manager, that you had to overcome?

The transition has, thus far, been seamless. I believe Academy Bus and James River Transportation shared many of the same views, and business practices which helped the transition go relatively smooth. One of the things that remains true, across both companies, is the family mentality, which was important to me. I have had the privilege of meeting a number of people from Boston, all the way to Miami. All of whom I have met, have been good people, that have been readily available to help, if I encountered any questions, or needed assistance. The only challenge has been looking at things from a much larger viewpoint than what we were accustomed to previously and adapting to some of Academy Bus' business practices. Luckily, I have a great team of employees, with the right people, in the right place, that all share the same vision that I do for the Richmond terminal’s success.

What makes Richmond such a viable charter bus market?

There's an abundance of history in Richmond. People come from all over just to embark on the history portion itself. The city is known for its food. If a restaurant doesn’t have good food, it won’t last 3 months, (and we love to eat around here). Richmond is a central point for most anywhere in Virginia, from Williamsburg, and Virginia Beach to the east, Charlottesville, and the Blue Ridge Parkway to the west. There are quite a few big-name colleges near Richmond as well, such as VCU, UVA, Virginia Tech, JMU, ODU, and University of Richmond, just to name a few. There are also numerous wineries and distilleries close by. From Richmond, you can get to most any major outlying areas, in just a few short hours.

What is the favorite part of your job?

You know, I don’t know if I necessarily have a favorite part of my job, however I truly do enjoy coming to work most days. We have a very tight knit group here, that is like a second family. We know personal details about each other from husbands/ wives, kids, hobbies, likes dislikes, etc. And food! We all try to eat together frequently to continue to bring us together as a group. The atmosphere here in Richmond is amazing. Again, I got lucky with some great people that share the same vision, so it makes it all feel like less work when everyone is working together. If I had to pick a favorite part, I guess I would have to say the logistics. Watching big moves, or busy days, all come together at the end, just feels a little rewarding.

Thank you, Jason.