Fairfax Connector
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A Fairfax Connector New Flyer D40LFR at Pentagon City Station | |
| Locale | Fairfax County, Virginia, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Service area | 180 square miles[1] |
| Service type | bus service |
| Routes | 85 |
| Stops | 4,061[1] |
| Fleet | |
| Daily ridership | 37,614[1] |
| Annual ridership | 10,650,401[1] |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Operator | MV Transportation[1] |
| Website | Fairfax Connector |
Fairfax Connector is a public bus service provided by Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, and operated under contract by MV Transportation.[1][2] The first buses rolled out in September 1985 as a lower-cost alternative to the Metrobus service of the regional Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.[3] The original routes connected the southern part of the county (near the Mount Vernon Estate) to the Huntington Metro station which borders Alexandria. This area continues to be the core of the system, and is noted for the number of residents in the Richmond Highway area who use the service at all times of the day.
Fairfax Connector, or simply "The Connector", has since expanded to 50-odd routes spanning much of the county. In 1994, the service was extended to the high-technology industrial areas of suburban Reston and Herndon, located between Washington, D.C. and Washington Dulles International Airport. Along State Route 267 (the Dulles Toll Road), express buses carry commuters from free park-and-ride lots to the Washington Metro system. In June 2009, service was transitioned from the Metrobus 2W, 12-, and 20-series routes to the Connector in the Centreville, Chantilly, and Oakton areas along I-66 and near Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Station.
Fares are paid in cash (exact change), Metrobus weekly unlimited bus "flash" pass, or WMATA issued SmarTrip card.[4] The fare for local routes for riders paying cash and SmarTrip is $1.75. Discounted transfers between local buses to and from Metrorail cost $1.25 and are available only to SmarTrip users. The fare for express Bus 495 (F, G, J, M) is $4.00 cash or $3.65 SmarTrip. The fare for express buses 394, 395 and 981 is $5.35. An express fare of $7.50 is charged on routes 595 and 597. There is no SmarTrip discount for express routes except for 495 buses.[5] A $5 round trip fare or $4.50 SmarTrip with rail to bus transfer is charged for the Wolf Trap shuttle 480 operated by the Connector. As of January 4, 2009, Fairfax Connector no longer issues or accepts paper transfers. Seniors and disabled persons ride on local and express buses 394, 395, 981 for $0.90 ($0.80 with SmarTrip), $2.00 ($1.80 with SmarTrip) on express buses 495 (F, G, J, M) and $7.50 on express buses 595 and 597 or free on all routes with a valid MetroAccess ID card.
Fleet roster
As of August 2015, the Fairfax Connector fleet roster consists of the following buses:
| Order Year | Builder | Model | Length (ft.) | Quantity | Engine/Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Orion Bus Industries | 05.505 | 30 | 9 | |
| 2002 | 05.502 | 35 | 8 | ||
| 2007 | NFI | D40LFR | 40 | 45 | Cummins ISL/Allison B400R |
| 2007 | D35LFR | 35 | 16 | ||
| 2009 | D40LFR | 40 | 45 | ||
| 2008 | OBI | 07.502 NG |
30 | 26 | |
| 2011 | NFI | D40LFR | 40 | 68 | |
| 2012–2013 | XD40 | 40 | 39 | Cummins ISL9/Allison B400R | |
| 2012 | XD35 | 35 | 15 | Cummins ISL9/Allison B400R | |
| On Order | |||||
| 2015-2016[6] | NFI | XD35 | 35 | 12 | Cummins ISL9/Allison B400R |
| XD40 | 40 | 5 | Cummins ISL9/Allison B400R | ||
- All buses in fleet are Diesel powered.
Bus routes
As of August 2014, the Fairfax Connector bus system consists of 85 routes. The following are the route numbers and names that make up the Fairfax Connector bus system.[7]
| Routes | Route Description |
|---|---|
| 101 | Fort Hunt |
| 109 | Rose Hill |
| 151 | Engleside - Mount Vernon |
| 152 | Groveton - Mount Vernon |
| 159 | Engleside Limited-Stop |
| 161 | Hybla Valley Counter-clockwise |
| 162 | Hybla Valley Clockwise |
| 171 | Richmond Highway |
| 231 | Kingstowne Counter-clockwise |
| 232 | Kingstowne Clockwise |
| 301 | Telegraph Road |
| 305 | Newington Forest - Silverbrook Road |
| 306 | GMU - Pentagon |
| 310 | Franconia Road - Rolling Valley |
| 321 | Springfield Counter-clockwise |
| 322 | Springfield Clockwise |
| 333 | Patriot Ridge - Saratoga |
| 334 | DLA Circulator |
| 335 | Fort Belvoir "Eagle Express" |
| 371 | Lorton - Franconia-Springfield Metro |
| 372 | Lorton - Alban Road |
| 373 | Lorton - Fullerton Road |
| 394 | Saratoga - Pentagon Express |
| 395 | Gambrill - Pentagon Express |
| 401 | Backlick - Gallows Northbound |
| 402 | Backlick - Gallows Southbound |
| 422 | South Tysons - Greensboro Metro |
| 423 | Central Tysons - Tysons Corner Metro |
| 424 | North Tysons - Spring Hill Metro |
| 432 | Old Courthouse - Beulah |
| 461 | Flint Hill - Tapawingo - Vienna |
| 462 | Dunn Loring - Navy Federal - Tysons |
| 463 | Maple Avenue - Tysons |
| 466 | Vienna - Oakton |
| 480 | Wolf Trap Express |
| 493 | Lorton - Tysons |
| 494 | Springfield - Tysons |
| 495 | Burke Centre VRE - Tysons |
| 505 | Reston Town Center |
| 507 | Sunset Hills - Sunrise Valley |
| 551 | Herndon-Monroe - Glade - South Lakes |
| 552 | North Shore - Lake Fairfax |
| 553 | Reston South - Viking - Pinecrest |
| 554 | Wiehle Avenue - Center Harbor |
| 557 | Reston South - Soapstone |
| 558 | Center Harbor - Lake Fairfax |
| 559 | Reston South - Glade - Soapstone |
| 574 | Reston Town Center - Tysons |
| 585 | Reston South - Franklin Farm |
| 599 | Pentagon - Crystal City Express |
| 605 | Fair Oaks - Reston |
| 621 | Penderbrook - Fairfax County Government Center |
| 622 | Penderbrook - Fair Ridge |
| 623 | Fairfax County Government Center |
| 630 | Centreville South |
| 631 | Little Rocky Run |
| 632 | Westfields Boulevard - Walney Road |
| 640 | Stone Road - Westfields Boulevard |
| 641 | Centreville South - United Methodist Church Park and Ride |
| 642 | Sully Station |
| 644 | Centreville (Stone Road) Park and Ride |
| 650 | Chantilly |
| 651 | Chantilly - Brookfield |
| 652 | Chantilly - Franklin Farm |
| 721 | Chain Bridge Road - McLean |
| 724 | Lewinsville Road |
| 734 | McLean - West Falls Church |
| 924 | Herndon Parkway - Dranesville Road |
| 926 | Worldgate - Dranesville Road |
| 927 | Dulles Corner - McNair Farms |
| 928 | Herndon Parkway - Elden |
| 929 | Centreville Road - McNair Farms |
| 937 | Coppermine - Elden |
| 950 | Herndon - Reston Town Center - Wiehle |
| 951 | Sunrise Valley |
| 952 | Sunset Hills |
| 980 | Herndon-Monroe - Wiehle |
| 981 | Washington Dulles International Airport - Wiehle |
| 983 | Washington Dulles International Airport - Udvar-Hazy - Wiehle |
| 985 | Washington Dulles International Airport - Wall Road |
| RIBS1 | Lake Anne - Hunters Woods |
| RIBS2 | South Lakes Drive |
| RIBS3 | Hunters Woods - Lake Anne |
| RIBS4 | North Point |
| RIBS5 | Herndon |
Former bus routes
- 5S - Reston-Herndon to West Falls Church station (discontinued in July 1999), was part of the Herndon-West Falls Church Line as a Metrobus route until it was transferred to the Fairfax Connector in 1994
- 304 - Saratoga (replaced by the 333)
- 425 - Tysons to Jones Branch (discontinued in July 2014 when the Metro Silver Line opened)
- 427 - Tysons to Greensboro Drive (discontinued in July 2014 when the Metro Silver Line opened)
- 495F - Burke VRE to Tysons, Full Circulation (replaced by the 495 in July 2014 when the Metro Silver Line opened)
- 495G - Burke VRE to Tysons, Greensboro Circulation (replaced by the 495 in July 2014 when the Metro Silver Line opened)
- 495J - Burke VRE to Tysons, Jones Branch Circulation (replaced by the 495 in July 2014 when the Metro Silver Line opened)
- 495M - Burke VRE to Tysons, McLean Circulation (replaced by the 495 in July 2014 when the Metro Silver Line opened)
- 555 - Sunset Hills Park & Ride to West Falls Church (discontinued in July 2014 when the Metro Silver Line opened and the Sunset Hills Park & Ride closed)
- 595 - Pentagon Express (replaced by the 599 in July 2014)
- 597 - Crystal City Express (replaced by the 599 in July 2014)
- 904 - Herndon-Monroe Park & Ride to Tysons Corner (discontinued in December 2001; replaced by the 574 between Reston Town Center & Tysons Corner and by the 950 between Herndon-Monroe & West Falls Church station; in July 2014, 574 was truncated to Spring Hill station and the 950 was truncated to Wiehle-Reston East station)
- 905 - Reston Town Center to West Falls Church station (replaced by the 505 in December 2001; 505 was truncated to Wiehle-Reston East station in July 2014)
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Fairfax Connector Facts at a Glance". Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ↑ "Fairfax Connector Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". Fairfax County, Virginia. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ↑ Lynton, Stephen J. (1985-09-27). "Fairfax Bus Service to Begin". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ↑ "Smartrip Technology On Fairfax Connector Buses". Fairfax County Government. May 2, 2007. Archived from the original on 2013-12-30. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ↑ "Fares and Transfers - Fairfax County, Virginia". Fairfax County, Virginia. January 7, 2013.
- ↑ "Fairfax County Connector Exercises Contract Options From New Flyer". New Flyer. August 13, 2015.
- ↑ "Fairfax Connector Route Schedules and Maps". County of Fairfax, Virginia. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fairfax Connector. |
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