OmniRide bus ridership rebounds since the beginning coronavirus pandemic

Ridership on the region’s commuter bus system has rebounded since the economic shutdown brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

OmniRide buses are currently operating at 85% capacity of what the transit system had been operating before the pandemic. This number reflects ridership for runs on Monday through Thursday while running a reduced schedule on Fridays.

“Since people are either off work or teleworking on Fridays it makes more sense to run a reduced schedule that day. It also allows Omniride an easier time to maintain our fleet of buses and onboard tech systems. It also allows for flexibility for drivers to spend time with family,” said Schneider.

OmniRide never stopped providing bus services during the pandemic, but instead ran a reduced schedule that started on March 25 and continued until those services were ramped up on June 22.

Local bus and Metro Express service continued to operate under normal schedules, and riders on the local buses that travel within Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park continue to ride free. OmniRide commuter bus passengers continue to pay, but cash is no longer accepted, and riders must use an electronic form of payment to include Metrocard.

Essential workers traveling to and from the Pentagon continued to use OmniRide during the economic shutdown. By contrast, more underused routes such as a commuter bus from Haymarket only saw about two to four riders daily.

At that time, OmniRide saw about 30% of its normal daily ridership. Ridership numbers increased steadily through mid-May when Gov. Ralph Northam allowed the state to enter the first phase of the economic reopening process, allowing many retail shops to reopen for the first time since early March.

As customers return, OmniRide has continued its pandemic protocols for buses by removing the first two rows of seats inside buses to further separate the driver from passengers. Crews will continue deep cleaning buses multiple times during the day, and bus drivers will have extra masks for riders who may not have them, said Schneider.

The transit will measure ridership after Labor Day in hopes it will be a key indicator of future, post-pandemic ridership levels.

“Post-Labor Day will be the single biggest impact since kids will be back on school, people will be off vacation,” said Schneider. “This will give Omniride an idea of what to expect and by Oct 1 they’ll have a good idea of what to expect.”

Schneider participated in an interview on PLN’s YouTube channel. The video of the full interview is below.