PRTC's Emergency Service Plan
Passenger Guide for Snow and Other Emergency Conditions
Revised November 2009
The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission
has developed an Emergency Service Plan (ESP) with customer needs and
comfort in mind. PRTC will offer full service whenever possible. However,
when service must be altered due to weather or other emergency conditions,
this plan will provide passengers with the safest and most efficient
transportation possible under challenging conditions.
EMERGENCY SERVICE
PLAN
For Winter Weather Events
HOW DOES IT WORK?
- PRTC will attempt to start all morning buses on time.
- Roads deemed unsafe for travel will not be serviced. (See “Snow Routing” panels for specific route information.)
- OmniRide commuter buses will transport passengers to and from West Falls Church and Franconia-Springfield Metrorail stations only. (No service to or from DC, Pentagon, Crystal City, Rosslyn/Ballston, Tysons Corner or Vienna Metro.)
- In the morning, all Metro Direct and Cross County Connector routes will operate according to published schedules as road conditions allow.
- Starting at 12 noon, OmniRide buses (except for OmniRide's Tysons Express) will leave Metro stations about every 20 minutes until 7:30 p.m.
- Prince William Metro Direct and Manassas Metro Direct buses will operate until the last published departure time.
- OmniRide's Tysons Express and Linton Hall Metro Direct buses will leave the Metro station every hour on the hour with the last buses departing at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (If the bus is full, it will immediately depart and the next bus will resume departures on the hour.)
- OmniLink local buses WILL NOT make off-route trips.
WHEN WILL THE PLAN BE ACTIVATED?
PRTC will check weather service forecasts by 3 a.m. and again by 10 a.m. to determine if the ESP will be activated that day.
The plan will be activated if forecasts predict the Washington, D.C. metro area will receive:
- Four or more inches of snow or
- Accumulations of freezing rain or ice.
OmniRide service will operate the ESP in the morning if inclement weather is expected to affect the morning rush. Another call will be made at 10 a.m. to the weather service to determine if the plan will be in effect for the afternoon and evening.
When the ESP is activated for OmniRide service in the morning, regular service may resume in the afternoon based on weather and road conditions.
OmniLink local bus service will operate the ESP service all day long if inclement weather is predicted for any time during the day.
During winter weather events, OmniRide and Metro Direct bus service is dependent on Metrorail serving its above-ground stations. If Metro is expected to stop service in the morning, OmniRide and Metro Direct service may be cancelled for the entire day. If Metro service is suspended midday, OmniRide and Metro Direct service will operate until picking up passengers from the final Metro train. (See “How Will You Know the Plan is in Effect?” and listen to radio and TV reports for Metrorail service changes.)
In extreme situations, PRTC may need to further curtail or cease bus service entirely. An announcement will be made via the communication methods outlined here.
HOW WILL YOU KNOW WHEN THE PLAN IS IN EFFECT?
Starting at 4 A.M. for morning service and at 11 A.M.
for afternoon service, customers should check for:
- A Rider
Express, email advisory or text message
- A special alert on the home page of this website
- A recorded message at (703) 730-6664 or long-distance
(888) 730-6664;
- Announcements on local television stations and on WTOP radio (103.5
FM) if time and circumstances warrant.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
- When the Emergency Service Plan is in effect because of winter weather, bus rides on that service are FREE.
- Passengers completing their commutes by train or neighboring regional bus service must pay the appropriate fare on that service.
- When the ESP is in effect on OmniRide, fares are also free on Metro Direct buses; passengers on all other PRTC buses pay regular fares.
- When the ESP is in effect on OmniLink, fares are also free on the Cross County Connector; passengers on all other PRTC buses pay regular fares.
OMNIRIDE AND METRO DIRECT PLAN
When the ESP is activated, all buses on the Manassas OmniRide,
OmniRide's Tysons Express, Manassas Metro Direct and Linton Hall Metro Direct routes will operate to
and from the West Falls Church Metrorail station only. All other OmniRide
routes and the Prince William Metro Direct will operate to and from the Franconia-Springfield
Metrorail station. Passengers can transfer to Metrorail to continue on to
their destinations in the A.M., with the reverse in effect for P.M. travel
if the ESP remains in effect all day.
MORNING COMMUTES
Buses will travel along the Snow Emergency Routing, outlined in this
brochure, to the Franconia-Springfield and West Falls Church Metro Stations. Service
will begin at normal start-times and every attempt will be made to remain
on schedule. Please keep in mind that poor road conditions may
impact on-time performance.
EVENING COMMUTES
If the plan was implemented in the morning but weather and road conditions are expected to improve considerably by the afternoon, PRTC will resume operating regular service at 12 noon, except for the MX-1 bus to the State Department which will leave at its regularly scheduled time.
If the mid-morning forecast predicts afternoon conditions for the Washington, D.C. area that meet established criteria, the afternoon Snow Emergency Plan will be implemented as follows:
- OmniRide service at the West Falls Church Metro station (for Manassas, Tysons Express and Linton Hall route customers) and at the Franconia-Springfield Metro station (for all other customers), will begin at 12 noon with the last buses departing at 7:30 p.m. The only exceptions will be the Prince William Metro Direct and Manassas Metro Direct buses, which will operate until the last regularly scheduled departure times.
- At Franconia-Springfield, passengers can find PRTC buses by bearing left when exiting the Metro station. Some PRTC buses will use the OmniRide bus stop while others will stop past the Greyhound station. At West Falls Church, passengers can find PRTC buses on the Upper Level by bearing right when exiting the Metro station and looking for the OmniRide bus stop sign.
- At the Metro stations, buses for all routes EXCEPT Tysons Express and Linton Hall will leave about every 20 minutes. (In rare situations, waits may be longer.) Once a bus is full, it will leave the station.
- Tysons Express and Linton Hall Metro Direct buses will depart every hour on the hour, with the last buses departing at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. If the bus is full, it will immediately depart and the next bus will resume departures on the hour.
- Buses will follow normal routes as long as the streets are safe for bus travel. If local streets are deemed too dangerous for buses to operate safely, buses will follow the Commuter Snow Routing as described in this brochure. (See “Commuter Snow Routing” for specific route information).
SNOW EMERGENCY ROUTES
Snow Emergency Routing will be implemented under two
conditions, with your safety in mind:
- Whenever the A.M. plan has been implemented; and
- In the P.M. if neighborhood streets are deemed unsafe.
Bus stop signs with a snowflake sticker ARE NOT SERVED when the ESP is in effect.
Commuter Snow Routing
Eastern Prince William
Capitol Hill
The C-1 route will be discontinued during a snow emergency. C-1 passengers
should catch a Dale City or Lake Ridge bus.
Dale City
Buses will operate regular local routing.
Lake Ridge
Bus stops on Antietam, Deepford and Oakwood will not be served. For trips beginning at Festival at Old Bridge, service
will be operated from the regular start of the route to the bus stop at Seminole and Antietam. Buses will take
Antietam to Old Bridge, serve the bus stop on Old Bridge at Oakwood, and then
continue the regular route. Trips beginning at the Tacketts Mill Commuter Lot will operate regular local routing.
Montclair
Buses will operate regular local routing.
The Prince William Metro Direct
Buses will operate regular routing.
Rosslyn/Ballston
Buses will operate regular local routing.
Route 1
Buses will operate regular local routing.
South Route 1
Bus stops on River Heritage, Kirby,
River Ridge and Wayside will not be served. Service will begin at the bus
stop on Route 1 after Fox Lair and buses will continue on Route 1, stopping at OmniLink bus stops at River
Ridge, Allen Dent/River Heritage and Wayside, then start regular routing.
Tysons Express
Buses will operate regular local routing. Passengers may connect with Fairfax Connector or Metrobus at the West Falls Church Metro station to complete their commutes.
Leaving Franconia-Springfield Metro Station
- Dale City and Rosslyn-Ballston – Riders will use a combined bus. Rosslyn/Ballston passengers may remain on the bus past Lindendale Commuter Lot to reach Prince William Parkway and Golansky.
- Montclair, Route 1 and South Route 1 – Riders will use a combined bus. Route 1 and South Route 1 passengers will transfer to a waiting bus at the Route 234 Park and Ride Lot to reach destinations along the Route 1 corridor. Montclair passengers should remain on the bus.
- Separate buses will be used for the Lake Ridge and Prince William Metro Direct routes.
Commuter Snow Routing
Western Prince William
Linton Hall
Buses will operate regular routing.
Manassas
- Manassas Metro Direct buses will operate along the regular route to/from the West Falls Church Metro station. No service to the Vienna Metro Station. Buses will switch to afternoon routing on the first trip departing West Falls Church at/after 12 noon.
- Manassas OmniRide buses will operate regular routing in the morning and follow Manassas Metro Direct routing in the afternoon/evening.
Leaving West Falls Church Metro Station
Manassas, Tysons Corner and Linton Hall evening buses will originate at the West Falls Church Metro Station.
Local Snow Routing
OMNILINK
When the ESP is activated, ALL OmniLink off-route trips are cancelled for that
day. To learn if the ESP has been activated, customers with off-route reservations
should use any of the methods listed in this brochure. (See “How
Will You Know the Plan is in Effect?”)
Delays can be expected as road conditions deteriorate.
OMNILINK SNOW EMERGENCY ROUTES
OmniLink buses will stop at all signed PRTC bus stops where it is safe to do so except:
- Bus stops with a snowflake sticker;
- Dale City – No service along Darbydale Avenue
- Dumfries – No service along Neabsco Mills Road between Route 1 and Dale Boulevard or along Old Triangle Road
CROSS COUNTY CONNECTOR
Buses will start routes at regularly scheduled times and operate along
regular routes. Road conditions may cause delays.
GENERAL EMERGENCY SERVICE PLAN
For Non-Winter Weather Events
Along with winter weather, there are other challenging
conditions that can impact travel in PRTC’s service area. Traffic
jams, road closures, political rallies, and miscellaneous events that
simply can’t be predicted can all affect PRTC’s services. When
events such as these occur, PRTC may find it necessary to implement
the Emergency Service Plan (ESP).
PRTC may implement the ESP in only the morning or afternoon
and for only commuter and/or local bus services as circumstances dictate. We
will do our best to notify customers through the established methods
of communication and to get buses to the Metro stations as quickly as
possible. If you haven’t done so already, sign up
to receive Rider
Express email notices.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
- The ESP may be independently activated for commuter and/or local bus services based on emergency conditions.
- If the ESP is activated for OmniRide commuter buses in the morning, regular service may resume in the afternoon based on the status of the emergency; or the ESP may be activated in the afternoon even if buses operated on the regular schedule in the morning.
- OmniRide commuter buses will operate regular local routing to and from West Falls Church and Franconia-Springfield Metrorail stations only. (No service to or from DC, Pentagon, Crystal City, Rosslyn/Ballston, Tysons Corner or Vienna Metro.)
- If the ESP is activated in the morning, all OmniRide and Metro Direct buses will start their morning and midday MX bus routes according to published times.
- Midday MX buses will depart Metro stations at the time they are scheduled to depart the Pentagon.
- If the ESP is in effect in the afternoon, service will begin at 2 p.m. with buses leaving the Metro stations about every 20 minutes.
- All OmniRide service will end at 7:30 p.m.
- Prince William Metro Direct and Manassas Metro Direct buses will operate until the last published departure time.
- OmniRide's Tysons Express buses and Linton Hall Metro Direct buses will leave the Metro station every hour on the hour, with the last buses departing at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- If the ESP is activated for OmniLink and Cross County Connector services, it will be in effect for the rest of the day. Services will operate regular routes and schedules, but OmniLink local buses WILL NOT make off-route trips.
HOW WILL YOU KNOW THE PLAN IS IN EFFECT?
Under the General ESP, methods of communication will
remain the same as described in the ESP For Winter Weather
Events, though notification times may vary as circumstances dictate.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Commuter Emergency Routing
- In the morning, buses will operate as described in the ESP For Winter Weather Events except that service will operate regular routing.
- Unless circumstances dictate otherwise, midday trips (MX buses) will operate along regular local routing to/from the Metro stations with return trips departing the station at the time they are scheduled to depart the Pentagon.
- In the afternoon, service from the Metrorail stations will be as described in the ESP For Winter Weather Events, except afternoon service will begin at 2 p.m. instead of 12 noon, unless circumstances dictate otherwise.
Local Emergency Routing
Because OmniLink and Cross County Connector buses operate only in the local area, PRTC does not anticipate needing to implement the ESP For Non-Winter Weather Events for these services. However, if activation is required, buses will operate along standard routes and will serve all signed PRTC bus stops.
Whatever the situation, PRTC will make the decision to implement the
Emergency Service Plan with your needs in mind. Our goal, as always,
is to provide customers with safe, consistent transportation at maximum
service levels.
We’re available to answer your questions
Monday – Friday, 5:30 A.M. to 8:30 P.M.
(703) 730-6664 or (888) 730-6664
Omni@OmniRide.com
www.PRTCtransit.org
Copies of the Emergency Service Plan brochure are available for download in English and Spanish:
|
