Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Held at the New OmniRide Western Bus Maintenance & Storage Facility in Manassas
(Front: L-R) Keolis General Manager Barbara Murdock; Chief of Public Transportation at the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Jennifer DeBruhl; NVTA Executive Director Monica Backmon; PRTC Commissioner Kenny Boddye; Tom Osina, member of the Manassas City Council; PRTC Board Chair and Woodbridge District Supervisor, Prince County Board of Supervisors Margaret Angela Franklin; NVTA and Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis J. Randall; PRTC Vice Chair Jeanette Rishell; Virginia Delegate Danica Roem, 13th District; Manassas Councilman Ralph Smith, PRTC Commissioner Kim Short; PRTC Commissioner Victor Angry. (Back: L-R) President and CEO of Keolis North America David Scorey; President and CEO of Keolis Transit America Aline Frantzen; Darryl Moore, PRTC Commissioner from Manassas Park; Dr. Bob Schneider, Executive Director of OmniRide.
MANASSAS, VA – OmniRide, in partnership with the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA), hosted a ribbon cutting for OmniRide’s Western Bus Maintenance and Storage Facility on August 11th.
The new facility will allow OmniRide to improve and expand transit services for western Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park residents and the Northern Virginia business community, and will help to reduce congestion along the I-66 corridor, as part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project, impacting the region at large. The project will provide new travel choices and congestion relief across a 22.5 mile stretch of 1-66 from I-495 near Route 29 in Gainesville. The facility includes eight bays for 100 buses to eliminate driving empty buses from eastern Prince William County, resulting in more efficient service.
Additional benefits of the new facility include, improved on-time performance; the ability to introduce new commuting options; the ability to dispatch buses serving western routes directly from the facility; and additional maintenance bays and parking for the OmniRide bus fleet.
Members of the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) Board of Commissioners and distinguished guests, including elected officials, were in attendance and gave remarks. Welcome remarks were provided by event co-hosts, Dr. Bob Schneider, Executive Director of OmniRide, and Monica Backmon, NVTA Executive Director. Program speakers included, Virginia Delegate Danica Roem, 13th District; NVTA and Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis J. Randall; PRTC Board Chair and Woodbridge District Supervisor, Prince County Board of Supervisors Margaret Angela Franklin; Manassas Councilman Ralph Smith; and Chief of Public Transportation at the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Jennifer DeBruhl. Also in attendance, were Aline Frantzen, President and CEO of Keolis Transit America; David Scorey, President and CEO of Keolis North America; and Mike Ake, Senior Vice President of Operations at Keolis Transit America. Keolis has a contract to operate and maintain OmniRide’s bus service.
“On behalf of PRTC and my fellow Board members, I would like to extend my thanks to the NVTA and all funding partners for this beautiful Western Facility,” said PRTC Board Chair Franklin. “This facility will permit us to provide our western service residents and business community with efficient, reliable and safe OmniRide service, as well as help reduce congestion in the area. Prince William County is very proud to have been a part of this worthwhile project, and the continued expansion of transit services for the region’s residents.”
Groundbreaking for the facility began 2 ½ years ago. When you combine the administrative building, maintenance, fuel area, and the bus yard there is over 200,000 square feet sitting on this 15-acre property. The building is also eligible for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – or LEED – certification. The total for this project came to just short of $50 million dollars.
“The new facility is more than just a building, as it allows for expanded service and improved on-time performance, resulting in Northern Virginians getting back home to their families faster,” said NVTA Chair Randall. “This project demonstrates the regional collaboration it takes to fund multimodal solutions to help alleviate traffic congestion in NoVA.”
“This project spans two administrations and demonstrates the Commonwealth’s commitment to multimodal transportation in the I-66 corridor and investments in the infrastructure that keeps us moving,” said Ms. DeBruhl.
PRTC, operating as OmniRide, has provided mobility services for Northern Virginia for more than three decades. This includes local bus service in Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park; express service for commuters between Prince William County and employment centers in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.; and Metro Express which connects riders with Metro Stations. PRTC also co-sponsors the Virginia Railway Express, in partnership with the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.
“It is critical that we continue to invest in regional, congestion-reducing solutions that allow people to get to their destinations faster, and this new OmniRide facility provides options that does just that,” said Ms. Backmon. It truly takes a region to make a project like this come to fruition, and we’re so grateful to all our regional partners – and construction and engineering teams – who saw this vision to reality.”
Mr. Scorey said, "This new and modern facility enables us to further improve service for our passengers. As a long-time multimodal operating partner with PRTC and NVTC, it's encouraging to see continued investment in infrastructure that supports safe, reliable and climate-friendly transit options for our passengers."
OmniRide would like to publicly thank the following organizations for funding this project: Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, Federal Transit Association, Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and Prince William County.
The Western Facility is located at 7850 Doane Drive in Manassas.
This year marks 35 years of providing mobility services for the National Capital region, and the ribbon cutting was the kick-off of 35 days of celebrations to mark the anniversary. There will be more information to come on special public activities.
About Us
The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC), operating as OmniRide, provides commuter and local bus services as well as ridesharing services in Prince William County, the City of Manassas and the City of Manassas Park. It also co-sponsors the Virginia Railway Express in partnership with the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.