Rider Spotlight

Each month, PRTC shines a light on one of our passengers to learn why that person chooses to ride public transportation, how long he or she has been using PRTC’s services and what we can do to improve that person’s commute. Check out this month’s Rider Spotlight below.

"It baffles me why people drive and choose to deal with the enormous amounts of traffic, especially when there are other options available."

Customer Profile - July 2010

Victoria Edwards has vivid memories of her first day of work in the U.S. Government.  It was a few years ago, and she had just moved to Northern Virginia from a small town out of state.  She left from the Quantico area at 5:30 a.m., figuring that was early enough to get to work on time.  She was wrong. 

As the hours passed and her car crept along I-95, she grew more frustrated.  She noticed OmniRide buses zipping along in the dedicated HOV lanes and wondered how she could get on one of those buses.  She finally arrived at work at 9 a.m., frustrated and frazzled.  By her second day of work, she was ready to quit, she recalled. 

Ms. Edwards made it a priority to learn about OmniRide and remembers being excited and happy on the first day she used public transportation.

“They could have asked me for $1 million dollars [for her fare], and I would have paid,” she laughed.

Ms. Edwards has been a loyal OmniRide passenger ever since, and drives from her home to the Route 234 Commuter Lot five days a week to catch the Montclair OmniRide bus.  Not only does OmniRide deliver her to work stress-free, but the buses are clean and almost always on-time, and the operators are always friendly, she said.  She also loves how easy it is to make connections in D.C.  For example, the Montclair OmniRide bus doesn’t stop at her office near Eye Street, but three other OmniRide routes serve that stop, and she can use those buses to make connections on days when she doesn’t want to walk.

“It baffles me why people drive and choose to deal with the enormous amounts of traffic, especially when there are other options available,” she said, noting that she is a better employee when she isn’t stressed out because of her commute.

As happy as she is, there are a few changes she’d like to see.  She wants PRTC to encourage the Virginia Department of Transportation to install row numbers at the Route 234 lot to assist patrons with car locations in the newly expanded lot.  She’d also like PRTC to do everything in its power to get a traffic light installed at the lot’s access point to Dumfries Road, which she said is very dangerous for those trying to exit – including PRTC operators. 

Ms. Edwards is pleased that PRTC provides an alternative to one of the unexpected elements of  residing in Northern Virginia. “Because of the superior convenience offered and quality customer service, I have the peace of mind of always being traffic free with PRTC,” she said.

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Interested in having your story spotlighted? There’s no minimum time that you must have been riding with PRTC!  As long as you ride with us at least occasionally and are willing to submit a photo, you qualify! If you’d like to be featured in Rider Spotlight, contact Christine Rodrigo at (703) 583-7782 or at crodrigo@OmniRide.com.