OmniRide wants to shift its western center from Manassas Mall to downtown

MANASSAS — The center of western Prince William County could soon become Downtown Manassas, as far as OmniRide is concerned.

The local bus service that recently changed its name from PRTC is eyeing more changes in the Manassas area and proposes relocating the central transfer point in the western portion of the county from Manassas Mall to the corner West Courthouse Road and Mosby Street, near the county’s courthouse.

“OmniRide selected this location because our ridership figures have shown that the area around the Prince William County Courthouse is the top area our customers are traveling to/from,” OmniRide spokeswoman Christine Rodrigo tells Potomac Local. “This seems to be a popular location because of proximity to the Courthouse itself, government service offices including the Social Security Administration, and various destinations in Old Town Manassas.”

The proposal comes as city officials over the years have worked to make Downtown Manassas a central hub of activity, welcoming new businesses, restaurants, and the Prince William County region’s first co-working space CenterFuse.

If approved by the OmniRide Board of Commissioners, the transit agency also plans to implement a new paratransit service similar to MetroAccess, in western Prince William County.

Geared to those with disabilities, vans would pick up passengers three-quarters a mile off a regular OmniRide Local bus (formerly called OmniLink), and would replace “deviations” or off-route trips OmniRide local buses have done for years.

Paratransit riders would need to have a qualifying disability, and pay $3.10 one way, twice the one-way bus fare, said Rodrigo. Riders would reach destinations faster, ride in a van with up to seven other people, and have more privacy, she adds.

The move should also improve on-time performance for OmniRide local buses.

Express service to Rosslyn/Ballston

With 200 new commuter parking spaces about to open at Interstate 66 and Route 15 in Haymarket, OmniRide is also looking at adding express service between the lot and Arlington.

That lot is slated to open in middle December, and when it does “OmniRide proposes to offer Express bus service from that location to Rosslyn/Ballston. Initially, the route would offer four trips to Rosslyn in the mornings and four return trips in the afternoons/evenings. Rosslyn/Ballston was selected as the destination because there is demand in the I-66 corridor for direct bus service to that location,” states Rodrigo.

The proposal comes as E-ZPass Express Lanes are being added to the highway between Haymarket at the Capital Beltway. During construction, OmniRide has been operating service along the highway corridor for half price, offering one-way SmarTrip fares of $3.45 to encourage more people to take transit to get to work.

“If this new bus service is approved by the PRTC Board of Commissioners, OmniRide expects that some current riders who park at either the [nearby] Cushing Road Commuter Lot or the Limestone Commuter Lot will shift to the new lot, thus freeing up some spaces at the existing lots,” adds Rodrigo.

Earlier this year, OmniRide announced it won funds for an Uber-like service that will allow riders to hail a ride from their front door to commuter lots in Haymarket and Gainesville.

Finally, the transit agency wants to hear from riders about the types of services they want to see in the county in the next 10 years.

“OmniRide’s future commuter services will largely be driven by plans related to the construction of I-66 Express Lanes and the extension of I-395 Express Lanes. As for future local services, OmniRide’s goal is to achieve a better balance between rider demand and geographic coverage. That could mean more streamlined routes with little-to-no redundancy on areas served,” states Rodrigo.

The transit agency plans a series of public hearings on these proposals:

Wednesday, October 17, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Manassas Park Community Center
99 Adams St, Manassas Park, VA 20111
All Manassas Park OmniRide Local buses will serve the Community Center between noon and 4 p.m. on October 17. This is usually an on-demand stop.

Wednesday, October 17, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Baldwin Elementary School
1978 Eagle Way, Manassas, VA 20110

Thursday, October 18, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Haymarket Gainesville Community Library
14870 Lightner Rd., Haymarket, VA 20169

Wednesday, October 24, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
OmniRide Transit Center
14700 Potomac Mills Rd., Woodbridge, VA 22192