OmniRide took hits to revenue, public image during strike

OmniRide officials admitted the organization was caught “flat-footed” during a driver strike in early August.

OmniRide Executive Director Dr. Bob Schneider told his Board of Commissioners that the agency received assurances from the union about 11 days before the strike that there wouldn’t one.

When drivers did strike, that left OmniRide scrambling to find ways to keep, at least, a small number of services up and running. “Our strike contingency plan was woefully out of date,” said Schneider.

The transit service that provides commuter and local bus service in Prince William County relied on the 50% driver pool made up of non-union drivers to pick up passengers when union members walked out on July 31, rejecting a new labor deal between the union and the company contracted to provide bus services for OmniRide, Ohio-based First Transit, Inc.

The union divers reached a deal on August 5, eight days before they thought they would, and normal service resumed the next day. Drivers wanted a pay increase and didn’t like a policy that issues demerit points for being late to work, or late to scheduled stops along their routes.

OmniRide was not part of the labor talks, leaving it to the union and First Transit. Schneider promised commissioners that, in the event, a strike looms in the future, he’ll update them at least 30 days before it could happen.

“We will never do anything like that again,” he said.

Many OmniRide passengers aren’t aware of the transit provider’s relationship with First Transit, and that drivers were not direct OmniRide employees.

“People are talking about how we could be treating the employees… it’s about how the community perceives us,” said Rojan Robotham, an OmniRide Commissioner appointed by Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox.  “We need to work on our public image.”

OmniRide estimates it lost $118,000 in farebox revenue during the five-day strike. First Transit, Inc. is required to pay OmniRide for the lost revenue, said Schneider.