PRTC's Emergency Service Plan

Passenger Guide for Snow and Other Emergency Conditions

Revised November 2007

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 “OmniRide and Metro Direct Snow Emergency Routes” and “OmniLink And Cross County Connector Snow Emergency Routes”);
• 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 or Vienna Metro)
• Prince William Metro Direct, Manassas Metro Direct, and Cross County Connector routes will operate according to published schedules as road conditions allow;
• Starting at 12 Noon, buses will leave the Metro Stations about every 20 minutes until 7:30 PM, except for Prince William Metro Direct and Manassas Metro Direct which will operate until the last published departure time and Linton Hall Metro Direct which 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:

• 4 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 P.M. 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.

OmniRide and Metro Direct bus service during winter weather events 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, such as blizzard conditions, successive days of large accumulations of snow/ice, multiple-day federal government closings, etc., PRTC may need to further curtail services or cease bus service entirely. An announcement will be made via the following communication methods outlined in this brochure.

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
• 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 must pay Metrorail fares at the station.

• When the ESP is in effect on OmniLink only, passengers on all other PRTC buses pay regular fares. 
• When the ESP is in effect on OmniRide, fares are also free on Metro Direct and Cross County Connector buses; OmniLink passengers pay regular fares.

OMNIRIDE AND METRO DIRECT PLAN

When the ESP is activated, all buses on the Manassas OmniRide, 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 teh MX-1 bus to the State Department which will leave at its regularly scheduled time.

If the Plan was NOT implemented in the morning but, based on the mid-morning forecast, predicted conditions for the Washington, D.C. area meet established criteria, then the P.M. Emergency Service Plan will be implemented, as follows:

• OmniRide service at the West Falls Church Metro Station (for Manassas and Linton Hall route customers) and 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 the Metro stations, passengers can expect to wait up to 20 minutes (in rare situations, waits may be longer).  Once a bus is full, it will leave the station.
• 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, then buses will follow the Snow Emergency Routes.  (See OmniRide and Metro Direct Snow Emergency Routes)

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.  Service will be operated between the regular start of the route (Dillingham Square/Festival at Old Bridge) 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.

Montclair
Buses will operate regular local routing.

North Route 1
Buses will operate regualr local routing.

The Prince William Metro Direct
Buses will operate regular routing on both the A.M. and P.M. loops through Prince William County switching to the P.M. routing on the first trip that departs the Franconia-Springfield  Metro Station after 12:00 Noon. 

Rosslyn/Ballston
Buses will operate regular local routing.

Route 1
Buses will operate regular local routing.

South Route 1
Bus stops on Fox Lair, Allen Dent, Naples, Pine Bluff, New Cherry Hill, Kirby, River Ridge and Wayside will not be served.  Service will begin at the bus stop on Powell’s Creek at Route 1 and operate the regular route to River Ridge and Route 1.  Buses will continue on Route 1, stopping at OmniLink bus stops at Allen Dent/New Cherry Hill and Wayside, then continue the regular route.

Leaving Franconia-Springfield Metro Station

• Separate buses will be used for the Lake Ridge and Prince William Metro Direct routes.
• Dale City/ North Route 1/ Rosslyn-Ballston – Riders will use a combined bus.  North Route 1 and Rosslyn/Ballston passengers will transfer to waiting buses at the Horner Road Commuter Lot to reach their destinations.  Dale City passengers should remain on the bus.
• 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.

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 the 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. All buses will operate to/from the West Falls Church Metro Station.

Linton Hall
Buses will operate regular routing.

Leaving West Falls Church Metro Station

All evening buses destined for Manassas or Linton Hall 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 Ave.; and
• Dumfries – No service along Neabsco Mills Rd.

CROSS COUNTY CONNECTOR
Buses will start routes at regularly scheduled times and operate along regular routes.  Road conditions may cause delays.

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).

GENERAL EMERGENCY SERVICE PLAN
For Non-Winter Weather Events

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 at PRTCtransit.org 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 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 or Vienna Metro);
• All OmniRide and Metro Direct buses will start their morning routes according to published times.  Starting at 3 PM, buses will leave the Metro Stations about every 20 minutes until 7:30 PM, except for Prince William Metro Direct and Manassas Metro Direct which will operate until the last published departure time and Linton Hall Metro Direct which 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, it will be in effect for the rest of the day. OmniLink local buses WILL NOT make off-route trips.
• Cross County Connector will operate according to the published schedule but may experience delays.

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?

• When unanticipated events cause PRTC to activate the ESP, bus rides will be FREE on the first day the plan is activated.
  • When the ESP is in effect on OmniLink only, passengers on all other PRTC buses pay regular fares. Regional transfers will be provided upon request and will be accepted toward the cost of the bus fare.
  • When the ESP is in effect on OmniRide, fares are also free on Metro Direct and Cross County Connector buses; OmniLink passengers pay regular fares.
• For scheduled events, or when the ESP is activated for multiple consecutive days, bus passengers traveling:
• To/from Metrorail stations will pay the current Metro Direct cash, token, or SmarTrip fare. Passengers completing their commutes by train must pay Metrorail fares.
• Within Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park will pay the current local fare.
• Passengers completing their commutes by train must pay Metrorail fares at the station.

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) 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 that afternoon service will begin at 3 P.M. instead of 12 Noon, unless circumstances dictate otherwise.

Local Emergency Routing

BecauseOmniLink 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:

• Emergency Service Plan - English
  
• Plan De Servicio De Emergencia – Españoles