Lake Ridge to Pentagon, evening public trans options? (Manassas, Franconia: home, buses)

[JYonder]

Hello, everyone! I've really enjoyed reading the forums, and I'm very interested in making Lake Ridge our home when we relocate to the D.C. area in a few months. However, I had a question about evening commute options between the Pentagon and Lake Ridge ... last VRE leaves Franconia-Springfield around 7:15 pm. My husband has been told that he may have to work as late as 8 or 9 ... are there any feasible commuting options from the Pentagon to Lake Ridge that late in the evening? Thanks in advance

[ChristineVA]

There are no good options that late at night. You can always get to the outlying areas of Metro at any time, but beyond that, you are reliant on the VRE or busses. You might want to change the OmniLink bus website to see how late the busses run but I'm betting he will have a problem that late. To work those hours, he will need to be a solo driver.

[angielee001]

Omni Ride is probably his best bet. I see buses running as late as 8:00. From personal experience, I'm against the VRE. It is never on time (normally 10-15 mins late) especially in the mornings and very crowded. It gets cold standing outside and extra 10-15 mins.

OmniRide and Metro Direct Schedules/06

[ChristineVA]

True about the VRE. I know lots of people use it but they are always late and then there's the added Metro trip if you don't work right at one of it's drop off locations. Seems like a LOT of work in the morning. The guy who sits next to me takes the VRE from Manassas and, door-to-door, it is about 1 hour and 45 minutes for his commute.

[mlv311]

Originally Posted by JYonder

Hello, everyone! I've really enjoyed reading the forums, and I'm very interested in making Lake Ridge our home when we relocate to the D.C. area in a few months. However, I had a question about evening commute options between the Pentagon and Lake Ridge ... last VRE leaves Franconia-Springfield around 7:15 pm. My husband has been told that he may have to work as late as 8 or 9 ... are there any feasible commuting options from the Pentagon to Lake Ridge that late in the evening? Thanks in advance

VRE and commuter buses don't work well when one has an irregular schedule. If your husband knows in advance the days he has to work late, he can drive to the metro and park. Otherwise, he has to be careful about leaving on time to catch the last bus--not an option in some jobs.

[Mike From NIU]

How often would he have to work that late? I know there is a "Guaranteed Ride Home Program," which is free and can be used up to 4 times per year. (See Commuter Connections) If it's a once in a blue moon, it should be workable. If it's weekly, he'll need to drive.

[JYonder]

It would be often ... sadly, we're going to have to take Lake Ridge and Occoquan off our list, but THANKS to everyone for the lowdown on the evening trans picture. I really appreciate it!