Rent a Bus to Siegel Center: The Complete Siegel Center Transportation Guide

If you've tried to park on West Broad Street the night of a sold-out VCU Rams basketball game, you already know what's coming. The parking deck directly across the street fills early, every one of the surrounding blocks has meters and signs that towing groups enforce without patience, and when the buzzer sounds and 7,637 people pour out of the E.J. Wade Arena at once, West Broad Street turns into a wall of brake lights that doesn't clear for the better part of an hour. The Siegel Center is one of the loudest, most electric college basketball environments on the East Coast — and the parking situation around it is everything you'd expect from a 7,500-seat arena wedged into a dense urban campus corridor.

The question isn't whether it's a hassle. It's whether you hand that hassle off or absorb it yourself.

A Richmond charter bus or party bus rental answers that question cleanly. Your group boards at one address, the bus drops everyone at the arena's entrance, and the same vehicle is staged and ready on West Marshall Street when the game ends. Below is exactly how drop-off and staging work at the Siegel Center, which decks serve the venue and why advance purchase is the only option, how the approach roads behave on a big night, and which vehicle size fits your group — built on VCU's own published guidance, not assumptions.

For the full picture of group transportation to Richmond venues year-round, the Richmond sporting event transportation page covers the broader calendar.

Why Rent a Bus or Charter Bus to the Siegel Center?

The Siegel Center sits at 1200 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23284 — the corner of Broad and Harrison streets, right in the middle of VCU's Monroe Park campus. West Broad Street here is a commercial arterial that carries heavy traffic on any evening, and on a game night with a marquee Atlantic 10 matchup, it slows from the Fan District all the way to the decks. Four parking structures sit within a block of the arena, but availability is not first-come, first-served.

Most of the best spaces are held by VCU Ram Athletic Fund donors who purchase season parking passes before the year begins — the Bowe Street Deck and the UU Lot adjacent to the building are allocated by donor tier, per the official men's basketball parking page. That leaves a limited slice of public spots in the West Broad Street Deck, and those require advance online purchase — no cash, no card at the gate, no exceptions. Every VCU parking deck runs 100% cashless for events.

Then there's the post-game reality. When the final horn sounds, every fan who drove is working the same exit at the same time — the West Broad Street Deck ramp, Bowe Street, and whatever metered block they found six blocks back. Rideshare surge pricing activates in the Fan District and Museum District neighborhoods immediately after games end, because every car in the app is chasing the same demand spike.

One bus replaces all of it: your group arrives together, the parking deck is someone else's problem, and the departure is pre-arranged.

Charter Bus and Party Bus Drop-Off at the Siegel Center

The Siegel Center's main entrance faces West Broad Street, but for large events at the arena, VCU restricts passenger drop-offs from the Broad Street side — designated travel lanes take precedence, and the curb in front of the building is not available for commercial vehicle staging during high-attendance events. The established bus zone for major Siegel Center events is West Marshall Street, between Bowe and North Harrison streets, directly behind the arena. VCU designates this stretch with no-parking enforcement and towing during high-attendance events — the same block-and-tow approach VCU documented in its official traffic plan for Siegel Center graduation ceremonies, one of the arena's largest annual crowd events.

From West Marshall Street, your group has a short walk around to the arena's east or south entrances — no competing with Broad Street traffic, no crossing unmarked lanes.

For charter bus groups attending a basketball game, the smart move is to confirm drop-off and staging with VCU Parking & Transportation before your event. Submit a Special Event Parking Request at least ten days in advance to prkgevent@vcu.edu, or reach VCU Parking on (804) 828-7275. The official group parking page outlines exactly what to include — event date, number of vehicles, preferred facility — and confirms that VCU accommodates groups of any size with advance coordination.

That step matters because the configuration can shift depending on what else is scheduled on campus the same evening.

Siegel Center Parking: What Your Group Needs to Know

Understanding which deck is actually available to your group changes the entire planning calculus for a Siegel Center trip. Here's how the lots break down, straight from the VCU Athletics parking page.

West Broad Street Deck — 1111 W. Broad St. This is the primary public-facing structure for Siegel Center events, positioned across Broad Street between Harrison and Shafer streets. For men's basketball, public spaces here must be purchased in advance through VCU's online event parking system — the deck does not accept walk-up payments of any kind. The VCU Parking special events page has the purchase link; buy your permit before game day, because the deck is 100% cashless and unpermitted vehicles are towed during events.

General event parking at VCU garages is available through advance online purchase — check the purchase page for the exact rate on your specific game.

Bowe Street Deck — 609 Bowe St. This deck, accessible from Bowe Street behind the arena, is allocated to Ram Athletic Fund donors at the higher giving tiers for men's basketball. Scholarship Society and Platinum Society members get priority access on Bowe Street Level 1; Battering Ram through Super Rams level donors access Level 2, per the parking page. If your group doesn't hold donor-level season passes, this deck is effectively unavailable on a Rams game night.

UU Lot — adjacent to the west entrance. A small surface lot reserved for the highest-tier Ram Athletic Fund members. Not available for public event parking.

For a bus group, the arithmetic works differently. One charter bus replaces eight to fifteen cars — each needing its own pre-purchased permit, each lined up in the same exit queue after the game. One coordinated vehicle arrangement replaces all of that, and the staging is confirmed in advance rather than sorted out at the curb.

Getting to the Siegel Center: Routes, Roads, and Timing

The Siegel Center is reachable from two I-95/I-64 exits and from the Downtown Expressway (I-195), each bringing you onto West Broad Street from a different direction. VCU's own official directions page lays out the turn-by-turn for each approach.

From I-95 South or I-64 East — Take Exit 76B for Belvidere Street. Turn left off the ramp onto Leigh Street, right at the first traffic light onto North Belvidere Street, then right at the third light onto West Broad Street. The Siegel Center is on the right, with the West Broad Street Deck visible across the street.

From I-95 North or I-64 West — Take Exit 76A for Chamberlayne Avenue, stay left on the ramp, and turn left at the traffic light. After the bridge, bear right toward St. Peter's Street, turn right onto Leigh Street at the stop sign, left at the first light onto North Belvidere, then right at the third light onto West Broad Street.

From I-195 (Downtown Expressway) — Exit toward Belvidere Street and head north to West Broad Street. The Downtown Expressway is the fastest route from south Richmond and the Cary Street corridor, but it can back up during peak game-day traffic heading west.

The stretch of West Broad Street from the Fan District toward the VCU campus moves slowly on event nights — it's a high-volume corridor on a good day, and game traffic compounds it. Add real buffer time to any drive estimate, especially if you're coming from Short Pump or Chesterfield where the I-64 merge adds its own friction.

Approximate drive times from common Richmond-area starting points, before event traffic adds its share:

Add 20 to 40 minutes to any of those numbers on a busy game night. The GRTC Pulse BRT runs the length of Broad Street with stops near VCU's campus — it's the most practical single-person transit option in the corridor — but for a group arriving together from a hotel or a dinner reservation across town, a charter bus or party bus keeps everyone on the same schedule in the same vehicle from start to finish.

What Size Bus Does Your Group Need for the Siegel Center?

The E.J. Wade Arena is an intimate 7,637-seat building — not a 70,000-seat stadium that requires a fleet. Fan groups and company outings here typically need one vehicle, sometimes two, and the right size comes down to headcount and how far the group is traveling. Partybusrichmond.com connects you to a wide range of vehicle options through a large network of bus companies serving Richmond. Here's how the full lineup maps to a Siegel Center trip.

A 25-passenger party bus is a popular pick for fan groups wanting the celebration energy built into the ride — LED lighting and a sound system from your pickup through to West Marshall Street. For groups of 35 or more making the trip from Short Pump, Chesterfield, or anywhere beyond the city limits, a full-size charter bus earns its keep: undercarriage bays handle luggage and gear, and the onboard restroom means no pit-stop hunting on the way back. ADA-accessible vehicles are available through the network — note it in your quote request.

The 40-passenger party bus and 50-passenger party bus are worth a look for the larger fan sections that want the rolling party format for a rivalry game.

Siegel Center Bus Rental Prices

Pricing for a Siegel Center bus rental depends on vehicle size, how many hours you need the vehicle (including the time it stages during the game), your pickup location, and the date. To give you a planning sense: a 15–35 passenger minibus runs roughly $200–$275 per hour on weekends; a 40–56 passenger charter bus runs roughly $200–$350 per hour; party buses in the 25–50 seat range typically run $275–$500 per hour on a weekend evening depending on size. These are planning ranges to give you an idea — real pricing moves with the specific vehicle, the date, and how long you need it.

The per-head math gets interesting fast. A 40-person fan group booking a 40-passenger party bus for a Saturday Atlantic 10 game — pickup from a Short Pump restaurant two hours before tip-off, staging during the game, post-game return — might come to roughly $1,300 to $1,600 for the vehicle across four hours. Split across 40 people, that's about $33–$40 per person, less than the pre-purchased parking pass plus gas for two cars.

And nobody in the group has to figure out the West Broad Street exit.

Check out the Richmond party bus prices page for a full breakdown by vehicle type, or call 757-975-8487 any time for a free price quote with no obligation. The online tool gets you pricing in under 30 seconds — no account required.

VCU Basketball at the Siegel Center: What Your Group Is Walking Into

The Stuart C. Siegel Center opened in May 1999 at a cost of $30.1 million, a $7 million gift from Richmond businessman Stuart C. Siegel anchoring the build. The E.J. Wade Arena — renamed in the 2016–17 season following a $2.75 million naming deal — sits at 7,637 seats, expandable to 8,000, and it is consistently described as one of the loudest arenas in the Atlantic 10 Conference, per the official facility page. VCU has won better than 85 percent of its home games since the building opened.

From January 2011 to November 2021, the arena sold out 166 consecutive home games — a streak that only COVID interrupted, and one the program has been working to rebuild toward in every season since.

The 2025–26 season was a snapshot of what the Siegel Center looks like at full strength: the Rams finished 28–8 overall and 15–3 in Atlantic 10 play, winning both the regular season and conference tournament championships before a run in the NCAA Tournament. The home record that year was 15–2. The Rowdy Rams student section — which has won the Naismith Award for Student Section of the Year multiple times — shows up early and loud, and VCU students get in free, which means the building packs well before tip-off.

Games sell out. The official fan guide notes single-game tickets may be available at the East Lobby Will Call window through halftime on game day, and only if they haven't already sold. Advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended for any Atlantic 10 home game.

The Siegel Center also hosts events well beyond basketball — Virginia High School Athletic League state basketball championships draw buses from schools across the state; graduation ceremonies for multiple Richmond-area high schools run through late May; concerts and touring productions fill the calendar in the off-season. Whenever the building fills, the West Broad Street corridor feels it. The transportation challenge is the same regardless of the event.

Game Day Tips for Groups at the Siegel Center

• Buy parking before you arrive — every VCU deck is cashless. Public event parking at the West Broad Street Deck requires advance online purchase through VCU's event parking system. No cash and no on-site card payments are accepted. Check the VCU Parking special events page for current event-specific rates and the purchase link for your game.
• Donor-level passes control most of the nearby lots. The Bowe Street Deck and UU Lot are allocated to Ram Athletic Fund donors before the season starts. If your group doesn't hold donor passes, the West Broad Street Deck is the only public-access option — and it has limited public spaces on men's basketball nights.
• Charter bus groups need to submit a group parking request ten days out. Email prkgevent@vcu.edu with your event date, vehicle count, and preferred facility. VCU Parking & Transportation confirms the staging location and approach for your date. Don't try to work this out on game night.
• Doors open 90 minutes before tip-off. Weekend games have the Ticket Office open four hours before game time. West Broad Street backs up in the hour before tip on a sellout — build time into your bus pickup schedule accordingly.
• Post-game Broad Street exits slowly. When the final buzzer sounds, West Broad Street and the deck ramps clear at the same pace, which is gradual. Rideshare surge pricing activates in the surrounding Fan District immediately. A bus staged on West Marshall Street sidesteps all of it — your group loads at a fixed, pre-arranged spot and heads out on a cleared route.
• Accessible parking is available at Harrison and Broad Street for home games. Contact the VCU Ticket Office at (804) 828-7267 in advance for seating accommodations inside the arena.

Rent a Bus to the Siegel Center from Richmond International Airport

For VCU alumni fan buses, Atlantic 10 opponents whose fan base travels, or VHSL tournament groups flying in from Northern Virginia or Hampton Roads, the run from Richmond International Airport (RIC) to the Siegel Center is one of the most common out-of-town requests for Richmond bus rentals. RIC sits about 9 miles east of the Siegel Center — roughly 15 to 20 minutes on I-64 West under normal conditions, via the I-64/I-95 interchange and the Belvidere Street exit. One bus collects the whole group at baggage claim and delivers everyone straight to West Broad Street or West Marshall Street, with no splitting up at the terminal and no relay of rideshares from different carousels.

The Richmond airport transportation page covers how group pickups work at RIC for groups of any size. For groups based elsewhere in the metro — Short Pump, Midlothian, Chesterfield, the Henrico County corridor — a charter bus makes the same case: one pickup point, one arrival at the arena, and a return home that doesn't require anyone to navigate Broad Street at 10 p.m. after a game they actually wanted to enjoy.

Types of Group Transportation Booked to the Siegel Center

The same point-to-door group transportation works for the Siegel Center regardless of what brings the group together. These are the trips Partybusrichmond.com most commonly helps with for this venue:

• Fan groups and alumni sections. Large fan group travel to a Rams game where the celebration starts from the pickup point — LED lighting, a premium sound system, and the whole section arriving together at West Broad Street. See the full Richmond sporting event party bus options for every game-day configuration.
• Corporate and company outings. Client entertainment nights at a VCU game are a Richmond tradition. A Richmond corporate transportation minibus or charter bus shuttles the group from downtown offices or a dinner reservation straight to the arena and back, with no one working the parking problem.
• VHSL state tournament travel. The Virginia High School Athletic League state basketball championships at the Siegel Center draw teams and fan buses from across the state every year. A full-size charter bus is the standard fit — undercarriage bays for equipment bags, enough seats for the entire school group, and an onboard restroom for the longer hauls from the I-81 corridor or Hampton Roads. The Richmond school event bus rental page has more on student group logistics and what to include in a quote request.
• Birthday and celebration groups. A milestone birthday dinner in Shockoe Bottom followed by a Rams game is a straightforward Richmond night out. A party bus makes the restaurant-to-arena leg part of the event itself. Richmond birthday party bus rentals covers those trips.
• Concert and special event groups. When the Siegel Center hosts a touring act or a regional event, the same West Broad Street pressure applies. A Richmond concert bus rental handles those nights with the same drop-off logic.

Planning a multi-stop Richmond night — dinner, the Siegel Center, a post-game stop in the Fan — one reservation covers the whole itinerary. The Richmond group transportation services page covers multi-stop runs. Also heading to a game at CarMax Park or a show at Altria Theater on the same trip?

The CarMax Park transportation guide and the Altria Theater bus guide cover those drop-offs separately.

Frequently Asked Questions About Siegel Center Bus Rentals

Where does a charter bus drop off at the Siegel Center?

For large Siegel Center events, the established bus staging area is West Marshall Street, between Bowe and North Harrison streets — the block directly behind the arena — where VCU designates no-parking zones with towing enforcement during high-attendance events. Broad Street passenger drop-offs are restricted for major events because the street's designated travel lanes take precedence. For basketball games specifically, confirm your drop-off location and approach with VCU Parking & Transportation at prkgevent@vcu.edu at least ten days before your date, as the configuration can vary by event.

Where do charter buses park at the Siegel Center while the group is inside?

VCU's process for charter and oversized vehicle staging requires a Special Event Parking Request submitted at least ten days in advance. Include your event date, number of vehicles, and preferred facility. VCU Parking coordinates the staging location — typically on or near West Marshall Street for Siegel Center events — and confirms your approach and egress.

Trying to work this out at the curb on game night is not an option that works.

How much does parking cost at the Siegel Center?

General event parking at VCU decks is available through advance online purchase at the West Broad Street Deck, through VCU's event parking system. All VCU decks are 100% cashless for events — no cash or on-site card payments are accepted. Check current pricing and purchase parking for your specific game through the VCU Parking special events page.

Most nearby spaces on men's basketball nights are held by Ram Athletic Fund donors and are not available for public purchase.

Can I buy parking at the Siegel Center on game day?

For men's basketball, no. The donor-level lots are allocated before the season, and the public West Broad Street Deck spaces require advance online purchase — there are no walk-up or day-of payment options at any VCU event deck. Buy your permit before the game.

If you arrive without one, street parking in the surrounding Fan District blocks is an option, but meters are enforced and signs are strict — read them carefully.

Where exactly is the Siegel Center?

The Stuart C. Siegel Center is at 1200 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23284 — corner of Broad and Harrison streets on VCU's Monroe Park campus. From I-95 South or I-64 East, take Exit 76B for Belvidere Street. From I-95 North or I-64 West, take Exit 76A for Chamberlayne Avenue.

Full directions for both approaches are on the official VCU directions page.

How much does it cost to rent a bus to the Siegel Center?

Pricing depends on vehicle size, total hours, your pickup location, and the date. To give you an idea: a 15–35 passenger minibus runs roughly $200–$275 per hour on weekends; a 40–56 passenger charter bus runs $200–$350 per hour; party buses in the 25–50 seat range typically run $275–$500 per hour on weekend evenings depending on size. Those are planning ranges — your actual quote moves with the specific vehicle, the date, and how long you need it.

Call 757-975-8487 any time or use the online tool for pricing in under 30 seconds, no account required.

How far in advance should I book a bus for a VCU game?

For a regular-season Atlantic 10 home game, a few weeks of lead time is generally workable. The biggest crunch at the Siegel Center is VHSL state tournament week in March, when school groups from across Virginia converge on Richmond simultaneously — book as soon as the tournament bracket and schedule are announced. For rivalry games or homecoming matchups that historically sell out fast, book the same week you buy tickets.

Earlier is always better; the right vehicle goes first.

Is there public transit to the Siegel Center?

The GRTC Pulse BRT runs the length of Broad Street with stations near VCU's Monroe Park campus — it's the most practical single-person option in the corridor, and VCU students ride free. For a group moving together from a hotel, a restaurant, or a suburban pickup point, though, the Pulse puts everyone on their own schedule. A charter bus or party bus keeps the whole group together from one door to the next.

Are ADA-accessible buses available for Siegel Center trips?

Yes — ADA-accessible vehicles are available through the network of bus companies serving Richmond. Include your accessibility needs in your quote request. Inside the arena, accessible parking for home games is available at the Harrison and Broad Street locations; contact the VCU Ticket Office at (804) 828-7267 in advance for seating accommodations.

What events at the Siegel Center draw the largest groups?

Men's basketball accounts for most group bus requests — particularly rivalry games, homecoming nights, and late-season Atlantic 10 matchups that the Rams have historically sold out. VHSL state basketball championships are the second-biggest source of group bus rentals, bringing teams and fan buses from every region of Virginia. The arena also hosts concerts, university and high school graduation ceremonies, and the Virginia Regional FIRST Robotics Competition, each of which generates its own round of group transportation requests.

Book Your Siegel Center Party Bus or Charter Bus Today

The E.J. Wade Arena is one of the best college basketball experiences in the mid-Atlantic — 7,637 seats packed tight, the Rowdy Rams loud from the opening tip, and a program that has built one of the top home-court winning percentages in Division I over 25 years. The West Broad Street parking situation doesn't have to be any part of that experience. Whether it's a Rams fan section heading to a big Atlantic 10 matchup, a company outing, a VHSL tournament trip from out of state, or a birthday group that wants the party to start on the way there, Partybusrichmond.com makes it easy to compare charter buses, party buses, minibuses, and Sprinter vans through a large network of bus companies serving Richmond.

Fill out the quick online form or call 757-975-8487 any time — pricing for your specific date and group size in about a minute, no account required, no obligation. Lock in early for rivalry games and VHSL tournament week, and let the Rams handle the basketball while the bus handles everything else.