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Keolis awarded €110 million OmniRide bus contract in Virginia

Posted: 23 July 2020 |

Keolis, which will integrate 237 new employees to operate and maintain the bus service, has already begun changeover activities to ensure a smooth transition.

Keolis awarded €110 million OmniRide bus contract in Virginia

Photo credit: OmniRide

The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) Board of Directors has awarded Keolis a five-year contract worth approximately €110 million to operate and maintain its OmniRide bus service in Virginia from 1 November 2020.

OmniRide serves William County and its surrounding areas, which count 4.6 million inhabitants who use both the local and commuter bus service into Washington, D.C. A total of 166 buses, adapted for people with reduced mobility, will run on the network which features 26 routes and includes 17 park-and-ride car parks. They will carry around four million passengers per year.

Keolis aims to bring its safety-focused and passenger-centric approach to operating OmniRide’s commuter, local and paratransit service and to maintaining PRTC’s assets. 

“We are excited to work with Keolis. Their team know the region, the expectations, and where we want to go as a service and organisation. It’s an exciting time to be a part of OmniRide,” said PRTC/OmniRide’s Executive Director, Dr. Bob Schneider.

“We are delighted that the PRTC, our partner of 10 years, has again placed its trust in us with the award of the OmniRide bus network,” said Bernard Tabary, CEO International at Keolis Group. “They can be reassured that we will focus on safety, continuous improvement, innovation, employee engagement and transparency. Drawing on our international track record as a multimodal operator, we are committed to offering OmniRide passengers a top-quality mobility option offering a safe and reliable alternative to private car use and thereby helping to reduce congestion and pollution.”

“OmniRide plays such a critical role in the mobility of residents of Northern Virginia. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to bring our multimodal, customer-focused expertise to the PRTC with the addition of OmniRide’s transit services to our portfolio,” added Keolis North America President and CEO, Clement Michel. “The Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia metropolitan region is incredibly important to us as it is where Keolis began in the U.S. and the PRTC was one of our first U.S. partners through the VRE contract. We look forward to supporting OmniRide’s leadership and passengers bringing world-class service, innovation, and safety as they travel throughout the region.”