Provided by Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC)
The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) is expanding its teen summer bus pass program in 2016, enabling teens to not only travel locally, but to also get discounted fares when travelling to nearby Metro stations and Washington, D.C.
PRTC is the public transportation provider in the Prince William County area. With a MyLink teen summer bus pass, teens (ages 13-19) can get unlimited local bus rides for three months for one low price. The pass is accepted between June 6 and September 3, 2016.
“I am thankful that you all have this program,” one MyLink teen wrote to PRTC in September 2015. “It’s pretty awesome since I can’t drive right now. It gives me more freedom and responsibility.”
This year, the MyLink pass will be loaded onto a SmarTrip card – the rechargeable fare card that is used by nearly all transportation agencies in the Washington metropolitan area. When a SmarTrip card is tapped to the PRTC farebox, the farebox will recognize the MyLink pass for local travel and will not charge a fare. When traveling outside the local area, riders will need to have additional money loaded onto the SmarTrip card to pay the difference between the local and commuter bus fares.
“With MyLink, teens who can’t drive or don’t have access to a vehicle don’t have to ask their parents and friends for rides. MyLink enables teens save money and have a safe, reliable ride to get to summer jobs, shopping centers, recreation centers, libraries and lots of other places they want to go,” said PRTC Interim Executive Director Eric Marx.
The MyLink pass costs $30 if the teen already has a SmarTrip card, otherwise there is an additional $2 fee to purchase the card. PRTC’s one-way local fare is currently $1.40; it will increase to $1.50 in July. At that rate, a teen who takes more than 10 local round-trips over the summer will save money with a MyLink pass.
All PRTC buses run Monday through Friday, and some routes offer Saturday service. Local OmniLink routes serve Dale City, Dumfries, Manassas, Manassas Park, the Route 1 Corridor, and Woodbridge/Lake Ridge. There is also Cross County Connector bus service connecting eastern Prince William with the Manassas area.
Routes travelling outside the region include Metro Direct buses serving the Franconia-Springfield and Tysons Corner Metro stations, as well as OmniRide commuter buses to Washington, D.C., the Pentagon, Arlington, and points in Northern Virginia including Tysons Corner and the newest destination – the Mark Center.
For more information about MyLink or any of PRTC’s transportation services, contact Customer Service at (703) 730-6664 or visit PRTCtransit.org.
