Recent Press Releases
Media Kit
Introducing PRTC
The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) is a regional transportation
district comprised of six jurisdictions: Prince William, Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties
and the Cities of Manassas, Manassas Park and Fredericksburg.
Virginia law authorizes the creation of transportation districts to facilitate
regional transportation solutions to problems that transcend individual
localities’ borders. With that aim, PRTC was established in
1986 to help create and oversee the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) commuter
rail service and also to assume responsibility for bus service implementation
as its member governments saw fit.
PRTC today offers a comprehensive network of commuter and local bus services
in Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park,
as well as a free ridematching service. In addition, PRTC continues
to operate VRE in partnership with the Northern Virginia Transportation
Commission, which represents the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun
and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church.
Important Numbers
Funding for PRTC’s transportation services comes from several sources
including passenger fares and advertising as well as federal, state and local
government subsidies. All of PRTC’s member jurisdictions rely
on a 2.1% motor fuels tax to meet their respective local subsidy obligations. In
addition, Prince William County uses general fund appropriations to a small
degree when necessary as a supplement. Stafford County and the City
of Fredericksburg confine their PRTC service sponsorship to VRE, as will newest member Spotsylvania County, which will start appropriating funds to PRTC in FY 2012. Prince
William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park sponsor both
PRTC bus services and VRE.
| 3.2 million |
The number of passengers PRTC carried on its buses in FY 2009. |
| 8,817 |
The average daily ridership on PRTC's commuter bus services in FY 2009. |
| 18 |
The percentage that ridership increased on PRTC's commuter bus services in FY 2009 compared with FY 2008. |
| 3,821 |
The average weekday ridership on PRTC's local bus services in FY 2009. |
| 698,732 |
The total number of passengers transported in PRTC-affiliated carpools and
vanpools in FY 2009. |
| 3.9 million |
The number of passenger trips made by VRE in FY 2009. |
| $25.9 million |
PRTC’s operating budget in FY 2010, excluding
VRE. |
Our Services
PRTC’s goal is to provide safe, reliable and flexible transportation options
while helping to reduce area congestion and pollution. Those goals benefit
everyone in the region. Even those who don’t use our services benefit
from less congested roads and better air quality. These are the services PRTC
offers:
OmniRide – OmniRide commuter buses serve residents
on weekdays along the highly congested I-95 and I-66 corridors with destinations
including the Pentagon, Crystal City, Rosslyn/Ballston, downtown Washington,
Capitol Hill and the Washington Navy Yard. Along with morning and evening rush hour service,
mid-day service is available.
Metro Direct – Three Metro Direct routes provide
weekday connections to and from nearby Metrorail stations. Routes
link eastern Prince William County with the Franconia-Springfield Metro
Station, the Manassas area with the Vienna and West Falls Church and metro
stations, and the Linton Hall corridor with the West Falls Church Metro
Station.
OmniLink – The groundwork for OmniLink was laid
in the early 1990s when human services officials recognized a need for
local public transportation services to help the transit-dependent, senior
citizens, and people with disabilities to keep a measure of their independence. OmniLink
started running in 1995 with a unique “flex-routing” system
that is a model for other transit agencies nationwide. Flex-routing
enables the bus to travel up to ¾ mile off the standard route to
help those who have difficulty using fixed bus stops. Today, OmniLink
local buses have six weekday routes: Dale City, Dumfries, the Route 1 Corridor,
Woodbridge/Lake Ridge, Manassas and Manassas Park. In addition, Saturday
service is available on routes serving eastern Prince William County.
Cross County Connector – The Cross County Connector
provides transportation to people who need to travel between eastern Prince
William County and the Manassas area. It features access to major
shopping centers, social service agencies and government offices as well
as easy transfer points to OmniRide and OmniLink buses.
OmniMatch – OmniMatch is a free, personalized ridematching
program to help commuters find the carpool or vanpool that best suits their
needs. By accessing Commuter Connections’ extensive regional
database, OmniMatch can match commuters with other carpoolers and vanpoolers
who have similar commutes and work hours.
Virginia Railway Express – VRE offers train service
to six commuter rail stations in the Prince William and Manassas areas. Both
the Manassas and the Fredericksburg rail lines provide connections to other
transit at all stations in the District and at many Virginia stations.
You can get a better understanding of PRTC’s service area by visiting
our system map. And for more information about PRTC ,
contact PR Specialist, Christine Rodrigo at 703-580-6127 or crodrigo@omniride.com.
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