The Executive Orders Project - Federal Workforce: Federal order spikes ride-share interest
By Hank Silverberg
CORRESPONDENT
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President Trump’s “Return to In-Person Work” order has spiked requests for ride-sharing options from GWRideConnect run by the George Washington Regional Commission.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s community survey, there are an estimated 55,695 federal workers in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. For many of them, getting to work has now become a bit more complicated.
On Inauguration Day, President Trump issued an Executive Order requiring all federal workers, with a few exceptions, to return to in-person work. Federal Agencies have until February 6 to outline their plans to do that.
According to the George Washington Regional Commission, requests for ride-share options by car or van pool are up by 373% over the past 14 days, while request for bus or train connections are up 116%. The group’s application page shows a 346% increase. Those numbers are the largest increases the organization has reported in many years.
GWRideConnect is a free service that has operated for more than 50 years. It serves commuters in Fredericksburg, as well as Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, and Caroline counties. Director Leigh Anderson says the surge in requests for ride sharing is a response to the changes in teleworking policies for federal workers. “Our team is dedicated to helping commuters navigate vanpooling, bus routes, train schedules and carpools to find the best fit for their needs,” said Anderson.
Working at home became popular, and in many cases necessary, during the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected the country in 2020-21. Many federal workers decided to continue remote work after the pandemic was over. According to the Office of Personnel Management, about 40% of the federal workforce has been eligible for telework, but only about 10% are still using it.
The memo from OPM about the return-to-work order does allow for phasing in the return for remote workers who are more than 50 miles from a current agency office. That may apply to some federal workers in the Fredericksburg region.
Ride sharing has long been considered more economical and better for the environment because it takes single passenger cars off the road and reduces traffic congestion. Telework has been the other option for Federal workers in the Fredericksburg region who didn’t like the long commutes.
GWRideConnect says from September to November of 2024, their ride share program reduced the number of miles traveled on regional highways by more than 3.34 million.
If you are interested in alternate ways to get to work, besides single passenger cars, you can check out www.GWRideConnect.org or call 540-373-7665.
GWRideConnect is also running a Virtual Lunch on February 6, for those interested in learning more about ride-sharing. Sign up here.
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