OmniRide aims to spend $12.5 million on 19 new buses on multiple routes in the commuter bus system.
The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, OmniRide’s governing board, will meet tonight at 7 p.m. to consider the purchase. You can watch the meeting here, or attend the meeting in person at the OmniRideTransit Center, at 14700 Potomac Mills Road in Woodbridge.
OmniRide will use eight buses in Stafford County, express service between the Staffordboro Commuter Lot off Route 610 in North Stafford to Washington, D.C., and the Pentagon in Arlington.
The service carries an average of 145 people a day to Washington, D.C., and an average of 219 people per day to the Pentagon. OmniRide expanded its commuter bus service to Stafford for the first time in 2019 to help take more cars off the road during the construction of E-ZPass toll lanes on Interstate 395.
OmniRide uses buses from its contingency fleet to operate the service. “The pandemic hit in early 2020 before buses were purchased. Staff carefully evaluated service levels throughout the pandemic before moving forward with this purchase,” OmniRide documents state.
Seven of the buses will replace aging buses in the commuter fleet, and another three commuter buses will be used for service along I-66, where new E-ZPass toll lanes are being built from the Capital Beltway Gainesville.
Finally, one of the new buses will be used along Route 1 in Woodbridge for the OmniRide Local service. The new 35-foot transit bus will expand the local bus fleet that provides local bus service in eastern Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park.
Overall, ridership on OmniRide has been making a rebound in recent months as some federal employees are being recalled to the offices at least three days a week. According to OmniRide Executive Director Dr. Robert “Bob” A. Schneider, the transit system is seeing increased ridership Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
“Wednesday is becoming our busiest day, and most unpredictable day of the week, from a ridership demand standpoint,” Schneider told Potomac Local News.
New ridership numbers for December 2021, OmniRide Express commuter buses carried 55,700 riders, more than Virignia Railway Express which reports 54,000 riders for the month.
Potomac Local News recently reported how the transit agency is weathering a “storm” of low ridership.
