A first for the area, OmniRide will implement a new local bus service on Sundays.
Buses will travel along the Woodbridge/Lake Ridge, Dale City, Dumfries, Route 1 routes, and Prince William Metro Express between Woodbridge and the Franconia-Springfield Metro station.
The service will cost about $1 million a year and will begin Sunday, August 28.
Sunday service will mimic the Saturday service schedule in place since 2004. There is no weekend service in western Prince William County, Manassas, or Manassas Park.
The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission unanimously approved Sunday service at its July 7 meeting in Woodbridge.
“Sunday service will be very beneficial for residents,” said Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin, a transportation commission member. “We do have some initial work to get people back onto the bus as we’re still working on getting ridership back to 100 percent since the pandemic.”
“Sunday service is not only good for OmniRide but good for the region,” said Prince William County Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye, whose constituents requested the new service.
“We’re making the bus sexy,” said Prince William Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry on July 7, the transportation commission’s current chairman.
While new service is added in eastern Prince William, OmniRide is changing service in the west, specifically in Manassas Park. OmniRide will cut Route 68 through Manassas Park on December 12, 2022, and replace it with a service Like Lyft or Uber, called Microtransit, which allows riders to book a ride through their phone or by calling OmniRide’s Customer Service office. Instead of a bus, riders are driven in vans.
Also, on July 7, commissioners voted to allow transit agency staff to begin tinkering with local bus routes in both the eastern and western sections of Prince William County. During OmniRide’s Employer Council meeting on June 30, Director of Operations and Operations Planning Perrin Palistrant said it is too soon to provide details on portions of routes that will be restructured.
Commissioners will review the proposed changes at their October 6, 2022, meeting at the system’s transit center at 14700 Potomac Mills Road in Woodbridge. Changes to the bus routes will be implemented next year.
Finally, OmniRide hopes to add a new service from Gainesville to Reston. The commuter bus service would coincide with the opening of the Silver line Metro rail extension.
Riders would board buses at Balls Ford Road and ride to the soon-to-open Innovation station on the Silver line, near Dulles Toll Road and Route 28. Public comment on the service should begin in October, and commissioner approval could come in December.
*This story was corrected to reflect the correct route number for the Manassas Park bus to be discontinued.
Uriah Kiser is the founder and publisher of Potomac Local News. Send news tips to [email protected].
