Next week: new transit options to Tysons, Metro

Bus commuters in Prince William County will have new options starting Nov. 9.

For the first time an OmniRide transit bus will take passengers from Woodbridge to Tysons Corner in an effort to provide traffic relief on the Capital Beltway, where High Occupancy Toll lanes are being constructed from Springfield to the Dulles Toll Road.

Also on Nov. 9, riders from the Manassas area will gain more access to Metrorail stations along Interstate 66.

The Tysons Corner bus will provide free rides during its first week of service, picking up passengers at the Virginia Railway Express station in Woodbridge, as well as at a nearby commuter lot on Va. 123 east of Interstate 95.

"This will open up the transit shed, if you will, for those who ride Virginia Railway Express and need to get to Tysons Corner, as well as those who live in Prince William and work in Tysons," said Alfred H. Harf, director of the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, earlier this month.

The bus, funded by a grant from Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, will be the first of its kind equipped with wireless internet service.

The estimated one-way trip will last more than an hour, according to PRTC.

Unlike many of OmniRide's other transit buses that use express lanes on Interstates 95 and 395, the Tysons Corner bus must use the regular travel lanes on the Beltway as express lanes are being constructed.

The bus will drop passengers in and around the busy downtown Tysons Corner area serving Va. 7, International and Jones Branch drives. Riders will also have access to a Tysons Corner circulator bus running every 10 minutes, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday, the Tysons Corner bus will leave the VRE station at 6:05 a.m., and the last at 8:05 a.m. The first afternoon return trip to Woodbridge will leave the Tysons Corner transit center at 4 p.m. and the last at 6 p.m.

After the first week, one way fares will cost $3—$2.40 with a SmarTrip card—initially for the first six months. One-way fares will increase afterwards to $6.50, $4.75 with a SmarTrip card.

In Manassas, three of OmniRide's Metro Direct morning buses will extend their schedule beyond the Vienna Metro to the West Falls Church station.

The Manassas Metro Direct bus is a round-trip route, serving the Manassas area, Vienna and West Falls Church Metro stations.

The Prince William Metro Direct bus, from Woodbridge to the Franconia-Springfield Metro station, OmniRide's eastbound Cross-County Connector, OmniLink's Dumfries bus and OmniLink's Woodbridge A bus will all experience a routing change Nov. 9.

New schedules will be available at the PRTC Transit Center in Woodbridge and online on the agency's Web site, prtctransit.org.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.