Gainesville to Pentagon bus starts December 12

GAINESVILLE, Va. — The state will fund a new bus route for commuters in Gainesville. 

From PRTC: 

“A new state-funded commuter bus route linking Gainesville directly with the Pentagon will start operating on Monday, December 12, encouraging western Prince William County residents to share their commutes as plans proceed to build Express Lanes on I- 66.

The new Gainesville-Pentagon OmniRide route will be offered by the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC), which provides commuter and local bus services and encourages ridesharing in Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. All funding for the new route is being provided by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) as part of its efforts to move more people and reduce traffic congestion on I-66 Inside the Beltway.

Also starting on December 12, PRTC’s existing Manassas OmniRide commuter bus service will be split into two separate routes – one serving Washington, D.C., and the other serving the Pentagon. The split will benefit all Manassas OmniRide passengers by providing:

— More reliable on-time performance;

— Shorter travel times to and from D.C.;

— Increased rider capacity without higher operating costs; and

— A better chance of having a seat on afternoon/evening trips leaving the Pentagon because buses will be starting the route at that point.

In addition, the Manassas-Washington route will offer service to a new destination: L’Enfant Plaza.

PRTC updates its schedules twice annually to reflect current running times and changes in routing. Once the December 12 service change takes effect, PRTC will have a total of 18 commuter bus routes and seven local bus routes in the Prince William County area. Updated maps and timetables for all PRTC routes will be available in early December.’