Operator shortages lead to OmniRide missed trips; More commuters driving

A shortage of bus drivers is leading to missed trips across the OmniRide commuter bus system.

The missed trips come as many federal employees return to the office for the first time since the pandemic. And more of them choose to drive rather than use public transit, new data show.

OmniRide has 590 daily trips total in the system — 340 Express commuter buses providing service from Prince William and Stafford counties to Arlington and Washington, D.C., and 250 Local buses for trips in Prince William, Manassas, and Manassas Park.

At the height of the missed trips, on an average day, the bus system is missing or combining about six to eight commuter trips and about five to seven local trips. Roughly 98% of trips in the system finished on time, as opposed to about 99% during a typical day with any number of unexpected events like traffic delays, breakdowns, and driver shortages.

A shortage of drivers and mechanics is to blame for the missed trips. OmniRide, like many transit agencies across the U.S., is working to hire more.

“Unfortunately, like many transit agencies across the nation, OmniRide is experiencing an operator and maintenance technician shortage. This means that OmniRide has insufficient operators to run a full daily schedule and insufficient vehicles to meet peak service requirements,” said OmniRide spokeswoman Alyssa Ludwiczak. “In addition, supply chain issues have impacted the delivery of parts and supplies.  Therefore, each day OmniRide assesses the available manpower and equipment to determine how to safely operate service in the least disruptive way possible to meet our riders’ needs.”

According to the latest ridership data, ridership on OmniRide Express is up 80%, with 439,000 trips since July 2021. In February, about 54,000 trips were made on OmniRide Express buses.

By comparison, ridership on Virginia Railway Express between February 2021 and 2022 is up 75%, with nearly 60,000 trips.

However, compared to pre-pandemic numbers, passengers on VRE made 338,000 trips in February 2019, while OmniRide Express buses carried 133,381 trips that same month.

As federal employees return to the office, OmniRide sees increased ridership on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Ridership peaks on Wednesday.

According to an article written by OmniRide Director of Operations and Planning Perrin Palistrant, using information from a Washington Post article, more poeple are choosing to drive. The average morning speeds on northbound Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia and part of the southbound Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Maryland have slowed from about 55 mph late last year to 46 mph, according to INRIX, a Seattle-area traffic analytics firm.

“A prolonged shift toward driving would undermine years-long efforts in the Washington, D.C. region to reduce traffic congestion and combat climate change by promoting mass transit, carpools, and, ironically, telework. Even if a sustained jump in telework suppresses overall rush-hour traffic in the short term, experts say the damaging effects of increased driving would take a toll as the region continues to grow,” writes Palistrant.