PRTC Celebrates 30th Anniversary; Adds Five New MCI Commuter Coaches

Motor Coach Industries (MCI) noted that at 30 years of age, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) has logged millions of miles from Northern Virginia to the nation’s capital. MCI will help the system cover many more with the addition of five 2016 Commuter Coaches, arriving at the end of the year to serve PRTC’s OmniRide express routes.

PRTC will mark its milestone with a free community celebration from 11:30-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8 at the PRTC Transit Center featuring family friendly entertainment, bus excursions, food trucks and ice cream with opportunities to support local charities. 

”We’re always looking for ways to attract more non-drivers who want the frequency, dependability, safety and comfort our service provides,” said PRTC Interim Executive Director Eric Marx, noting that expansion of the region’s high occupancy lanes is driving transit expansion. Marx said PRTC is focused on “improving service while creating a modern-day system that makes transit attractive to everyone. We want to remain a cut above all other alternative modes of transportation.”

MCI’s latest Commuter Coaches will replace retirement-age equipment on its OmniRide routes, which play a critical role in transporting public- and private-sector employees to Washington, D.C., the Pentagon, and the surrounding employment core.

PRTC first took delivery of 38 MCI Commuter Coaches in 2002. With delivery of the five new coaches later this year, PRTC will have 99 MCI Commuter Coaches in its 152 vehicle fleet.  All PRTC vehicles feature the latest technology to improve safety, operations, route planning and customer satisfaction. PRTC pioneered transit GPS tracking in the United States and today applies TransTrack System’s data analytics package to monitor on-time performance and ridership by trip, bus stop and route to capture trends.

“We are committed to improving the customer experience and maximizing our resources,” said Marx. “We’re really looking forward to the years ahead, and moving the community forward.”

Features on the new 45-foot MCI Commuter Coaches include electronic stability control, 57 comfortable forward-facing seats with three-point passenger seatbelts, Trapeze TransitMaster mobile data terminals, automated stop announcements, and automatic passenger counters.

Passenger amenities include overhead parcel racks, personal reading lights, airflow controls, and a kneeling feature to lower the bus for boarding and alighting. With a reliability record that’s unmatched, the model is powered by Cummins ISX clean-diesel engine for low emissions, and is engineered with an air-ride suspension for a smooth, confident ride at highway speeds.

“MCI is proud to partner with PRTC,” said Tom Wagner, MCI vice president of public sector sales. “On behalf of MCI, we congratulate PRTC leadership and staff on its 30 year milestone, and look forward to new adventures during the next 30 years.”