Starting next week, you’re going to once again be able to cozy up to your neighbor while riding an OmniRide bus.
The transit agency says:
Effective June 14, OmniRide will lift seating restrictions on board all buses. Designated seating signage will be removed and all seats will once again be available to riders. Please note that masks — that cover both the nose and mouth — will still be required to board and ride OmniRide buses and while inside the Transit Center.
The mask order is a federal mandate, while Gov. Ralph Northam ended mask mandates for vaccinated individuals on May 15, and ended social distancing requirements on May 28.
Prior to this announcement, some buses were limited to just 10 passengers per bus, and the driver had been enclosed in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Spaced-out sending was one of the multiple mitigation strategies OmniRide used during the pandemic.
OmniRide provides commuter bus service from Prince William and Stafford counties, and Manassas City to Washington, D.C., as well as local bus service in Prince William County, and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
The news comes just days after Virginia Railway Express, OmniRide’s sister agency, resumed full service on both its Fredericksburg and Manassas lines. Ridership on the commuter railroad fell by more than 90% during the pandemic.
