Commuter buses and trains, already jammed with riders, say they don’t have the money to accommodate extra riders looking for a cheaper commute as gasoline prices climb toward $4 a gallon. The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission recently surveyed its public transportation systems on coping with a potential influx of riders prompted by soaring fuel prices,
and found there is little that can be done without more money.
“Without that we can’t increase the number of trips,” OmniRide spokeswoman Christine Rodrigo said, noting the commuter service, which shuttles people from Prince William County to the District,
already is using every bus in its lot.
Like OmniRide, other Northern Virginia services — including
LC Transit, VRE, Fairfax CUE and Alexandria DASH
— all have more riders, according to a March NVTC report.
Ridership swelled in 2008, when gas prices rose to $4. The American Public Transportation Association now estimates an additional 670 million trips will take place if gas hits that mark again. The average gallon of regular gas in Virginia is $3.53, according to AAA’s fuel gage report, with gas in the District at $3.80.
Brenda Thomas, who has been taking the Omnibus from Woodbridge for a year, said she has noticed more riders and it is affecting her commuting comfort.
“If there were other means I would use them,” she said. However, she said none fit her budget with parking prices in the District so high.
However, Greg Brace, who has used Omnibus to commute to the District from Dumfries for six years, said his bus already is crowded.
“It’s more of an issue at [the] Pentagon,” he said. He said people who get on his bus there often stand for the 50-minute
commute.
