Warren County kicks off new bus service to LFCC, RSW Jail today

FRONT ROYAL –Beginning today, July 31, a new bus service will provide transportation along the Route 340/522 Corridor and to the Middletown campus of Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC).

Warren County Administrator Douglas P. Stanley said in a media release that buses would run Monday through Saturday originating at the Royal Plaza Shopping Center on South Street or the Warren County Health and Human Services Complex on West 15th Street to the Crooked Run and Riverton Commons shopping centers.

There will also be limited commuter service to the Rappahannock-Shenandoah-Warren (RSW) Regional Jail and nearby large employers along Fairground Road, Baugh Drive and Toray Drive.  The buses will make four daily runs to the LFCC campus Monday through Thursday. The bus routes, which will be operated by Virginia Regional Transit, are separate from the Town’s trolley service. Riders will pay one $1.00 for a one-way fare.

The new service will provide Front Royal residents with transit access to additional medical care, education, shopping and employment, Stanley stated in the release

According to County Administrator Douglas P. Stanley, “We are extremely excited to get this service established.  Since commercial development started taking off in the corridor in 2005, I have heard comments about the need for residents in the Town of Front Royal to be able to get out there to shop or get to work.  The need was only exacerbated when the RSW Regional Jail opened in 2014.  With over 2,600 industrial jobs in the corridor, in addition to the commercial employment, the bus service has the potential to positively impact the lives of many in this community.”

“The service has been made possible through the generous support of our corporate partners including Axalta, Crooked Run Shopping Center, Front Royal-Warren County EDA, FDR Services, The Interchange Group, Lord Fairfax Community College, Nature’s Touch, Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, RSW Regional Jail, Sysco, Toray Plastics, and Valley Health.  This is truly a public-Private Partnership.”

Karen Taylor, Senior Project and Operations Manager at the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission commented, “This new transit service represents a perfect example of what can be accomplished through true regional collaboration.  Without participation from multiple private sector, nonprofit, and governmental partners, this opportunity to physically connect prospective employees to available jobs would have never come to fruition.  We are proud that NSVRC was able to play a role in fostering that collaboration.”

Sally Voth, Lord Fairfax Community College spokesperson said, in an email “Any time a barrier can be removed from a student’s pathway to higher education or workforce training, it’s a positive step. We know that reliable transportation is a hurdle some of our students and potential students face. We are pleased those we serve from Warren County will have an additional option for getting to our campus, and are proud to be a partner in this project.”

Jennifer McDonald, Executive Director of the Front Royal-Warren County EDA added, “The EDA was happy to participate in a much needed service for the residents and employees of Warren County. We hope this opens up employment opportunities for those that do not have access to affordable and consistent transportation to the employers in the corridor.”

According to Russ Gilkison, Superintendent of the RSW Regional Jail, “I am hopeful the trolley service will provide those inmates participating in the work release program, and individuals being released from custody with a safe form of transportation.”
Gilkison said the new service would make it easier for those who need public transportation to visit the Magistrates Office, which is now housed at the jail.

Check out the ribbon cutting: