OmniRide’s ridership has begun to rebound from the pandemic in recent months. Average commuter daily ridership for May 2022 is trending to where it’s more than 50 percent of the last full month prior to 2020 pandemic-related closures and reduced services.
OmniRide’s Express (commuter bus) daily ridership increased nine percent this April compared to March and has increased almost 30 percent since February. Daily average ridership for the first two weeks of May is nine percent higher than the last two weeks of April and 13 percent higher than all of April. According to OmniRide, the increase could be due to the Federal Government’s order for employees to return to the office – as OmniRide takes commuters to such government agencies as the Pentagon, State Department, and other government centers
OmniRide Local, bus service in Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park, ridership has also increased. March to April, ridership went up six percent and 21 percent overall since February. Ridership in the first two weeks of May is up 11 percent from the last two weeks of April.
The organization is also proposing new services, including a local microtransit service in Manassas Park. Like Lyft or Uber, microtransit allows riders to book a ride through their phone or by calling OmniRide’s Customer Service office. Instead of a bus, riders would be transported in vans.
The organization proposes adding Sunday service in eastern Prince William County. This service would include four local routes and the Prince William Metro Express route. Sunday service would mimic the Saturday service schedule already in place.
OmniRide is the operating name for the mobility services offered by the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC).
