After several weeks of delayed morning commutes for residents of Prince William County, Virginia, the OmniRide bus strike is over.
Bus operators represented by Teamsters Local voted Sunday evening to accept a tentative agreement with OmniRide system manager Keolis. "The work stoppage at OmniRide is over! Union members have voted to accept the latest Keolis contract offer," OmniRide wrote in a release.
Negotiations between union members and Keolis went on for about five months before they reached an impasse. The strike began Feb. 14, when about 150 OmniRide bus operators walked off the job.
The drivers felt they weren't receiving the benefits and pay they deserved. They were asking for better pay, shorter time to get to the top pay levels and better retirement plans.
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The strike forced Prince William residents who commute to D.C. to find other ways to get to work, including driving their own cars.
"It's been a bit rough ... not necessarily getting into the city, but getting out of the city can become very difficult," said one commuter.
On Sunday, the striking operators posted pictures on Facebook that showed them looking over the contract before they approved it.
Riders told News4 on Monday morning they were happy that service is beginning to return to normal.
"I'm looking forward to getting my nap, going in" on the bus, said another commuter.
Some express commuter routes were expected to return Monday, while other routes will resume as staffing allows, OmniRide said.
The following express commuter routes were resuming Monday, according to OmniRide:
- D-100 Dale City – Washington
- D-200 Dale City – Pentagon/Rosslyn/Ballston
- D-300 Dale City – Navy Yard
- MC-200 Montclair – Pentagon
- 942 Stafford – Pentagon
- 611 Gainesville/Manassas – Washington
- 612 Gainesville – Pentagon/L’Enfant/Navy Yard
For more information on bus routes and their status, visit the OmniRide website.
