OmniRide: “At the June meeting, the [Northern Virginia Transportation] Commission will be asked to approve the adoption of the I-395/95 Commuter Choice FY 2024-2025 Program of Projects shown in Table 1 (attached) and refer it to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) for consideration and final action later in June, contingent upon comparable action by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC). The action also commits to completing the funding awards for two larger capital construction projects in the FY 2026-2027 Programs of Projects as permitted under adopted program policy.”
“The proposed program includes 13 projects that support the I-395/95 corridor improvement goals of moving more people and creating viable, effective transportation options, as well as NVTC’s program administration and oversight activities for the two (2)-year period. The resolution will authorize the NVTC Executive Director to execute the Standard Project Agreements for the selected projects following CTB action. The NVTC-PRTC Joint Commission Working Group (JCWG) endorsed the recommended Program of Projects in April, both full Commissions received briefings on the program last month, and the public comments received broadly support individual projects included in the program.”
“OmniRide Route D-200 Service Enhancement: Dale City to Ballston (Continuation) OmniRide ($304,626) — This project would continue two (2) of morning and two (2) of evening trips provided by OmniRide’s D-200 commuter express route between Dale City and the Pentagon, Rosslyn, and Ballston. The route serves three (3) commuter lots, including Horner Road, Telegraph Road, and Dale City, allowing commuters to travel efficiently and avoid some of the most congested parts of the I-395/95 corridor.”
“OmniRide Prince William Metro Express Service Enhancement: Dale City to Franconia-Springfield Station (Continuation) OmniRide ($671,678 — This project would continue fare-free, expanded peak-period service between Woodbridge, Potomac Mills, the Horner Road commuter lot, and Franconia-Springfield Station. The route is one of the busiest in the OmniRide system and links commuters traveling to and from the Potomac Mills area with Metrorail, Metrobus, Amtrak, Fairfax Connector, Virginia Railway Express, and other OmniRide bus services.”
“OmniRide Route 1 Local Service Enhancement: Quantico to Woodbridge Station (Continuation) OmniRide ($755,020) — This project would continue fare-free, expanded peak-period local bus service along U.S. Route 1 in eastern Prince William County. This route connects key residential and employment areas along the corridor to OmniRide express buses, Virginia Railway Express commuter rail, and Amtrak trains.”
Prince Wiliam County Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin announced 13 new bus shelters would be erected on Route 1 bus shelters in Woodbridge, between Occoquan Road and Wayside Drive near Dumfries.
It is a joint project between the Potomac, the Rappahannock Transportation Commission, and the Prince William County Department of Transportation. The project is currently a work in progress, the transportation system explains.
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OmniRide bus service is proposing changes to three bus routes in the Lake Ridge and Dale City areas.
OmniRide also proposing a new service to provide more access to commuter lots in the eastern and western parts of Prince William County. OmniRide has scheduled a public hearing to discuss these proposed changes.
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OmniRide is proposing an overhaul of local routes in eastern Prince William County, including adding service to new destinations. The purpose is to create a streamlined, efficient, and more direct service.
New destinations and routes include areas that have been highly requested by passengers.
- New routing in Dumfries will include routing along Route 234/Dumfries Road, down to Waterway Dr.
- Dumfries residents will have access to medical offices along Fettler Park and access to the Target in Fortuna Plaza.
- Lake Ridge residents will have direct access to Potomac Mills and the NOVA campus with new routing along Minnieville Road between Tackett’s Mill and Caton Hill Road.
- Prince William Parkway between Route 1 and the Chinn Center will have dedicated routing.
OmniRide local routes will continue to serve all current service areas.
Flex routing that permits off-route trips will be discontinued and replaced with fixed-route service, which is a more direct and reliable point-to-point service. OmniRide will supplement fixed routes with OmniRide Access paratransit service for people with disabilities operating within three-quarters of a mile of the OmniRide Local bus routes.
OmniRide will hold public hearings and stage various listening events in the community to gain public feedback on the proposed changes. Residents can find dates/times of these hearings and view details of the proposed changes at OmniRide.com. They can email comments to: [email protected] or complete the online public hearing form.
Local commuters who use OmniRide buses to get to Washington, D.C., the Pentagon and Tysons Corner will see their fares rise from $6.90 to $9 each way on July 1, as part of an effort to raise more revenue for the bus system, which is pressed by lower commuter ridership and rising costs. Read More
OmniRide's board of directors, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, will meet on Thursday, April 6, and is expected to authorize a $1.6 million micro-transit service for the Dumfries and Quanitco areas.
According to OmniRide, the service would work alongside regular OmniRide Local buses, which service Route 1 in the Dumfries and Woodbridge areas.
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A groundbreaking ceremony signaled the start of work on a $54 million, seven-story parking garage near Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge.
The garage will sit in an area once earmarked for a Minor League Baseball stadium built eventually in Fredericksburg in 2019. The garage will serve as a transit hub in eastern Prince William County, replacing the nearby OmniRide transit center as a central bus transfer point.
Officials said that a soon-to-be-built ramp from the Interstate 95 E-ZPass Express to Opitz Boulevard would provide easy access to the garage.
Work on the new garage comes after union drivers at OmniRide ended a month-long strike, leaving commuters who rely on the bus to get them to and from Washington, D.C., without a ride.
Workers ended the strike after OmniRide agreed to pay them $12 million more over four years.
More in a press release:
OmniRide will restore more services on Monday, March 13, 2023, after union workers voted to end a month-long strike, demanding $12 million more from the transportation agency over four years.
OmniRide commuter buses serve Prince William and Stafford counties, while the agency’s local buses serve Prince William County and Manassas.
OmniRide says:
Union members have voted to accept the latest Keolis contract offer. OmniRide buses will resume service on Monday, March 12. Service will operate as described below.
These Express commuter routes will run:
D-100 Dale City – Washington
D-200 Dale City – Pentagon/Rosslyn/Ballston
D-300 Dale City – Navy Yard
MC-200 Montclair – Pentagon
942 Stafford – Pentagon
611 Gainesville/Manassas – Washington
612 Gainesville – Pentagon/L’Enfant/Navy Yard
Other Express commuter routes will operate as manpower is available.
Metro Express, Local, East-West Express, Connect microtransit and Access paratransit services will operate according to regular published schedules. For Local routes in eastern Prince William, the transfer hub will return to the OmniRide Transit Center.
OmniRide is happy to welcome all our riders back!
It’s been nearly a month since OmniRide drivers went on strike, leaving those in Prince William and Stafford counties without a guaranteed ride.
Today, Teamsters Local 639 is set to take a vote on a new contract that could end the strike today at noon.
“After being on strike for nearly a month, we are proud have reached an agreement for these incredibly resilient, brave men and women. They stood strong in spite of incredible adversity,” said Bill Davis, Local 639 Secretary-Treasurer. “The strike produced economic results for the membership – this is a fair agreement that we believe will get Prince William and Stafford Counties back up and running.”
According to OmniRide, which released the details of the new four-year deal, the offer includes:
- Compression of years to reach top pay from 16 to 5 years (6 was on the
table when the Union stopped working)- Approximate 14% across the board pay increase in year 1, including a $750 ratification bonus
- 3% annual raises for each year of the contract
- 2% increase in 401(k) match for a total of 3%
- Additional paid holiday for Juneteenth Celebration
- Same level of compensation for CDL drivers, regardless of service type
- Increased & more frequent Attendance Bonus for excellent attendance
- Numerous other items related to work rules and internal procedures
This increases the compensation for the Union workforce by an average value of $3 million per year, or $12 million over the length of the four-year contract. While this is a large dollar amount, the cost is driven by the reduction of the number years to reach top pay and is in line with industry standards, making OmniRide a highly competitive place to work. This allows OmniRide to offer excellence in our services by hiring and retaining the region’s best operator workforce.
We will update our customers on the status of the vote late Sunday afternoon and will announce the services for Monday based on the outcome. We are hopeful that beginning Monday we can resume our full complement of OmniRide services. Please keep an eye on the OmniRide website Sunday evening.
