PRTC is pleased to announce that it has received an Outstanding Implementation Project Award for the TIGER Bus Priority Program from the American Planning Association (APA). Thanks to this program, PRTC was able to make capital improvements that ultimately resulted in better and safer trips for riders.
TIGER, which stands for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, is a grant program through the U.S. Department of Transportation that provides federal funding for capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure projects.
“Through DOT’s TIGER program and our regional partners, PRTC was able to fund capital improvements that otherwise would have been very difficult to pay for – items that play a large role in helping riders feel safe and comfortable choosing to ride with us,” said Cynthia Porter-Johnson, PRTC Transportation Project Manager. “We are thankful that the APA saw the importance of the bus priority projects in the National Capital Region.”
PRTC worked with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) and regional transit partners from 2010 through 2016 to implement projects funded by TIGER grants in the National Capital Region. MWCOG’s Transportation Planning Board received a total of $58.8 million in TIGER grants in 2010, and of that amount PRTC was awarded $9.65 million for three projects:
- Purchase and installation of 75 bus security cameras for 15 buses;
- Purchase of 13 new, 40-foot, clean-diesel replacement buses; and
- Purchase and implementation of a Computer Aided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) system for the entire bus fleet. This system enabled PRTC to add customer-friendly features including real-time passenger information and automated stop announcements. To implement the full system, PRTC also received funding from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
The award was given by the National Capital Chapter of the APA, and was accepted by Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning, a consultant to MWCOG for the TIGER grants.
Other local governments or transportation agencies that were part of the larger regional TIGER project include: the City of Alexandria, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, the Maryland Department of Transportation, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
PRTC provides commuter and local bus services as well as ridesharing services in Prince William County, the City of Manassas and the City of Manassas Park. PRTC also co-sponsors the Virginia Railway Express in partnership with the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.
