OmniRide has reported ridership changes for its Express and Local bus services for May 2024.
OmniRide Express, which provides commuter bus services from Prince William, Stafford, and Spotsylvania counties to the Pentagon and Washington, D.C., saw its average daily ridership increase by less than one percent in May compared to April. This indicates a stable ridership pattern, with no significant changes observed over the month.
In contrast, OmniRide Local, which serves local routes within Prince William County and Manassas, experienced a six percent decrease in average daily ridership from April to May. Factors contributing to this decline included the impact of a holiday and the completion of the college spring semester. Despite the decrease in weekday ridership, weekend ridership significantly increased, exceeding expectations for both Saturdays and Sundays.
Overall, both OmniRide Express and OmniRide Local have seen significant increases in ridership, particularly in February and March, indicating a strong recovery and growing demand for public transportation services in the region.
For OmniRide Express, ridership in January 2024 was 87,867, a slight decrease of 0.6% from 88,408 in January 2023. February saw a substantial increase of 188.7%, with ridership rising to 103,123 from 35,718 the previous year. This upward trend continued in March, with a 109% increase to 106,030 from 50,721 in March 2023. April ridership increased by 47.4%, reaching 113,746 compared to 77,180 in April 2023. In May, ridership grew by 25.1%, with 113,932 riders compared to 91,101 in May 2023.
For OmniRide Local, January 2024 saw a ridership of 52,642, marking a 10.2% increase from 47,789 in January 2023. February ridership surged by 130.1%, rising to 56,967 from 24,758 the previous year. March ridership increased by 57.2%, reaching 54,235 compared to 34,508 in March 2023. In April, ridership grew by 24.8%, with 58,583 riders compared to 46,946 in April 2023. However, the growth rate slowed in May, with ridership increasing by 7.4% to 56,135 from 52,266 in May 2023.
The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (OmniRide) will meet on Thursday, July 11, 2o24, at 7 p.m. at the OmniRide Transit Center, 14700 Potomac Mills Road, Woodbridge. The meeting is open to the public. Here’s the agenda.