Rider Spotlight

Each month, PRTC shines a light on one of our passengers to learn why that person chooses to ride public transportation, how long he or she has been using PRTC’s services and what we can do to improve that person’s commute. Check out this month’s Rider Spotlight below.

Riding with PRTC since 1997.

Renèe Bagby

Customer Profile - November 2008

If Renèe Bagby’s friend knew how to drive a manual transmission vehicle, PRTC would have missed out on one of its biggest fans.

Ms. Bagby started riding with PRTC in 1997 when her Toyota Celica was in the shop to be repaired after being driven by her friend – a friend who had no idea how to work a manual transmission.  Ms. Bagby was wondering how she would get to her job in the administrative offices at Hecht’s in Ballston when someone told her that she could ride the Dumfries OmniLink bus to the VRE station.  For a short time, she commuted via OmniLink, VRE and Metro.  Then one day, her PRTC bus operator inquired about her destination and told her there was a much easier and less expensive way to reach Ballston: just take the OmniRide bus to the Pentagon and transfer to Metro there. 

Even after her car was repaired, Ms. Bagby found that she preferred riding with PRTC because she had a shorter commute and didn’t have to deal with aggravating traffic.  She said her co-workers could tell, based on her attitude in the mornings, whether she had taken the bus or driven her car.

 “The main reason I like riding is that I like people,” said the Dumfries resident.  “You meet so many interesting characters.” 

Another benefit of OmniRide is that it provided her with flexibility for her commute home, she said, explaining that if she missed the bus heading back to Triangle in the afternoon, she could catch a bus to the Route 234 commuter lot and have her daughter pick her up.  

Once Hecht’s was bought out by Macy’s, Ms. Bagby started doing temp work and running a home bookkeeping/accounting business.  She still rides the Metro Direct frequently to reach her temp job in Alexandria and uses OmniLink to pick up accounting documents when the businesses are along a local bus route.  She even rode the Cross County Connector this summer for the first time when she decided to shop at Manassas Mall. 

A veteran passenger of the transit systems in New York, Atlanta and Houston as well as some of the local transit agencies, Ms. Bagby is most impressed with PRTC.  “It’s one of the best maintained, cleanest and well-run bus services for a small bus fleet,” she said.  “Where else can you go to Springfield for $2.50?  It’s the best deal going.”

Interested in having your story spotlighted? There’s no minimum time that you must have been riding with PRTC! As long as you ride with us at least occasionally and are willing to submit a photo, you qualify! If you’d like to be featured in Rider’s Spotlight, contact Christine Rodrigo at (703) 583-7782 or at crodrigo@OmniRIde.com.