Transform I-66: Fairfax Connector Service - Board Transportation Committee Meeting July 17, 2018

1. Transform I-66
Fairfax Connector Service
Board Transportation Committee Meeting
July 17, 2018
Michael Felschow
Fairfax County Department of Transportation

2. Route 699 Overview
• FCDOT was awarded a grant from Northern
Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC)
for implementation of express bus service
(Route 699) along I-66 using the managed
high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes inside the
Beltway.
• Service funded with I-66 inside the beltway
toll revenue.
• The purpose of Route 699 is to reduce
congestion within the I-66 corridor inside the
Beltway.
• Funding covers operations and the purchase
of 4 buses for the new service.
• Route 699 began service on December 4,
2017.
• The route operates on weekdays from the
Government Center to Washington, D.C.
• The route consists of ten morning trips and
ten afternoon trips.
• An express fare of $4.25 is charged on the
route.
Department of Transportation
2

3. Department of Transportation
3

4. Route 699 Performance
• From December 11, 2017, through June 29, 2018, the
total preliminary ridership is approximately 36,424.
• The average weekday ridership is currently 262.
• The average weekday passengers per trip is 13.
Department of Transportation
4

5. Department of Transportation
5
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
ROUTE 699 AVERAGE WEEKDAY RIDERSHIP SINCE ROUTE INCEPTION
(12/11/17 - 06/29/18) - SOURCE GFI REPORTS

6. “I wholeheartedly love the
idea of the new connector
route from Government
Center to Washington, DC.”
“This bus has changed my life. It’s
given me hours back each day to
spend with family, exercise,
volunteer—anything but sitting on
the metro or in traffic. My
husband thanks you because I’m
home sooner, my friends thank
because they see me more, my
colleagues at work thank you
because I show up in a fabulous
mood and my dog thanks you for
more walks.”
I am a regular user
of 699, and I
support making
the new stops
permanent. These
stops bring me 2
blocks closer to my
destination of
Farragut West
metro stop.

7. Public Outreach
• Quantifiable reach to-date:
Approximately 10M impressions
• Free ride week promotion.
• Direct-to-customer outreach
(employers, commuters).
• Partner organization engagement
(Go DC Go).
• Traditional and social media
engagement.
• In-and out-of-home advertising.
7

8. Department of Transportation
8
• In comparison to May 2017, ridership increased by 7.6% in May 2018.
• Conclusion: Route 699 has not negativity affected feeder service to Vienna Metrorail station.
-
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUN. JUL. AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV.
RIDERSHIP
MONTHS
I-66 UTILIZATION AND 600 SERIES ROUTES AVERAGE WEEKDAY RIDERSHIP
FROM DEC. 2016 TO MAY 2018 - SOURCE GFI REPORTS
Dec.16-Nov.17 Dec.17-Nov.18
$1 Fare

9. • Government Center P & R lot usage based on
weekly counts:
• June 2018: average of 191 vehicles.
• June 2017: average of 43 vehicles.
Department of Transportation
9

10. Future Route 698
• New route serving the Pentagon.
• Express bus route featuring ten inbound
morning trips and ten outbound
afternoon trips operating during peak
travel periods.
• Funding for the service is from tolls
allocated through the multimodal grant
program managed by NVTC as part of the
I-66 Express Lanes Project inside the
Beltway.
• Service will operate with 4 buses.
• Service is anticipated to begin March
2019.
Department of Transportation
10
Service Information
Span of Service
(A.M.) 5:30 to 8:00
Span of Service (P.M.)
3:00 to 6:00
Daily Trips 20
Headways (min) 15
Run Time (min) 33
Deadhead (min) 40

11. 11

12. 12

13. Questions?
Department of Transportation
13