Now there are fewer people riding the 380 and paying more each, so the county has to subsidize the bus line even more. Where there are close substitutes, large fare increases can actually decrease revenues and are counterproductive. Fairfax should reconsider its decision to raise fares so heavily, at least on the 380. These results show that it’s sometimes possible to get more revenue by raising fares, but the results depend heavily on the circumstances. Although the ridership is likely a lot of government workers, the Blue line provides the same trip with a much better frequency, about the same travel time, a more comfortable ride, and after the fare change, about half the cost. In contrast, ridership on line 380, from Franconia/Springfield to the Pentagon, dropped by almost 80%, and average revenue was cut in half. According to the schedules, that trip takes approximately the same amount of time, but with three vehicles, it’s more likely that one of them would have a problem. The nearest substitute other than driving would be to take a bus to West Falls Church, take the Orange line and then transfer to the Blue line, a “three seat” ride.
This is probably due to the high government employees ridership and lack of close substitutes for these lines. Combined with nearly doubling of fares, the change resulted in a net revenue gain for the county, nearly doubling. Average ridership grew between 1.75% and 7.8% for lines 171, 401 and 950, whose fares did not change.įor lines 595 and 597, which travel between park and rides in Reston and Pentagon/Crystal City, respectively, the lines experienced modest drops in ridership, about 20%. The baseline data showed a slight increase in ridership from June to July. However, this depends on riders being primarily government workers, and not having close substitutes for their commutes. With that change, round-trip travel for federal workers less than about $12 per day is essentially free, providing a means for local governments to get additional revenue without losing much ridership. Federal workers can now get $230 per month in transit passes, up from $120 per month previously. Meanwhile, ridership and revenue plummeted on the third.įairfax didn’t publicly explain their reasoning, but I believe it related to with the recent increase in federal transportation subsidy. The result: On two of these express bus routes, Fairfax lost little ridership and nearly doubled their revenue. And they didn’t make a similar change on three other lines, creating nearly ideal conditions for an economics experiment. They didn’t change schedules or service frequency.
The Fairfax Connector is Northern Virginia’s largest local bus system with 93 daily routes and about 26,000 passengers.įor more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine’s News newsletter.To balance this year’s budget, Fairfax County raised the price of express bus routes 380, 595 and 597 from $3.00 each way to $7.00 each way. This adjustment can be absorbed by Fund 40000, County Transit Systems, for the remainder of FY 2023 and in FY 2024, while fare revenue budgeted for FY 2025 and beyond will reflect the updated policy,” the report said. “As a result, the proposed fare policy change is estimated to result in a $50,000 decrease in fare revenue for FY 2024. In neighboring Alexandria, riders do not pay to ride DASH buses.Ī Fairfax County staff report said the fiscal impact will be “negligible.” The change comes as the county looks to reduce barriers to bus service for communities of color and low-income households. The supervisors also decided there would not be a limit on the number of children who are with the adult. The new policy closes the gap by allowing all children to ride free.
#Fairfax connector bus fare free
Middle and high school students ride free through the student bus pass program. The county previously allowed up to two children under the age of four to ride free with a paying adult. The Fairfax County supervisors approved the change Tuesday. Children 12 and younger who are with a paying adult will be able to ride Fairfax Connector buses for free, starting May 1.
0 kommentar(er)
