TRANSIT SERVICES

  
Northern Virginia is served by 11 separate transit operations with substantially integrated routes and fares (Figures 2 and 3).  As of January, 2003, a twelfth system has begun to operate, known as GEORGE, in the city of Falls Church.  Several transit systems are owned directly or indirectly by local governments (Fairfax County Connector, Alexandria DASH, city of Fairfax CUE, Loudoun County Transit, Arlington ART, Falls Church GEORGE).  Others are owned by regional bodies (Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission’s OmniRide and OmniLink, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metrorail and Metrobus, NVTC and PRTC’s Virginia Railway Express, Virginia Regional Transportation Association’s Loudoun County service).  Regardless of the form of ownership, most systems rely on private operators.  In fact, only WMATA and the city of Fairfax (CUE) use their own employees to operate and maintain their transit systems.

The performance of the 11 interconnected transit systems at the close of FY 2002 is shown in this report to be exemplary.  As can be seen in Figure 2, they range in size as of FY 2002 from WMATA’s 621 bus fleet in Northern Virginia to ART’s seven buses.  Some operators serve lengthy commuter trips (VRE’s average trip length is over 33 miles) while others operate in higher density markets providing shorter trips (DASH customers travel about 3 miles per trip).  Accordingly, the best measure of successful performance varies by system.  Passenger-miles are the appropriate measure for long-haul carriers; passenger trips are better for short-haul systems.  For example, at only about 25-cents per passenger mile, VRE ranks at the top of the nation’s commuter rail operators in operating efficiency, while Metrorail is also extremely efficient when compared to its peers on a per passenger trip basis.  On-time performance is important for all systems and the figure shows solid achievement across the board.

Figure 2:
Public Transit Systems Operating in Northern Virginia
Operating Statistics and Performance Indicators, FY 2002

Figure 3:  Fares on Northern Virginia Transit Systems
Rail Systems	Minimum Fare	Maximum Fare	Senior	Disabled	Under 21
VRE	$2.15	$7.00	50% discount	50% discount	50% discount
Metrorail Regular Fare	$1.10