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Grant steers commuter bus toward road
Commuters to Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. may have a new option this winter. The Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission's Commuter Services Program recently received a $60,000 grant to help subsidize the start of a new commuter bus from Warrenton to those areas.The program helps pair commuters with car pools and van pools and the new commuter bus has the potential to take dozens of cars off the roads.
“The grant will help subsidize the bus until it is viable and can stand on its own,” said program co-coordinator Sue Hromyak. “When that point comes, we'll hopefully start another bus at a slightly different time.” The idea is to continue to expand and offer additional service to different areas in the planning district, which includes Fauquier, Culpeper, Rappahannock, Madison, and Orange counties.
“One of the challenges is to get people out of the car. We know, from what we've heard, that there is a group of people who want to ride a bus. It's not going to save you much time, but you can work on your laptop, knit or read while you commute,” she said.
The one-year grant was awarded to the commission by the Department of Rail and Public Transportation. Hromyak said that Commuter Services will put out requests for bids in the coming weeks, seeking a bus company to provide the new service, with the goal of getting the bus on the road in November or December.
For more information about the commuter bus, pick up a copy of this week's Fauquier Weekend.
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