Fairfax Connector
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The Fairfax Connector is a public bus service provided by Fairfax County, Virginia, and operated by Veolia Transport under contract. 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. The original routes connected the southern part of the county (near the Mount Vernon Estate) to the Huntington Metrorail 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.
The 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.
Fares are paid in cash (exact change), paper bus transfer, or a Metrobus weekly unlimited bus "flash" pass. Fairfax Connector deployed SmarTrip readers on its buses in May 2007, extending the use of this Washington Metro fare-payment system to Fairfax County.[1] Base fare is usually $1, but can be as much as $3 for express routes. With a Metrorail transfer, fares are discounted to $0.35 exact change from $1 fares, and $2.10 exact change for $3 fares. Senior citizens receive discounted fares (either $0.50 or $1.00) on all buses, or free fare with a Metrorail transfer. Children under age 5 and the disabled ride free on all routes.
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[edit] Fleet
The Fairfax Connector fleet roster (current as of April 2008) consists of the following:
- 1994 TMC RTS II 40' (7810-7854; currently the oldest buses in operation)
- 1998 Orion V 40' (7762-7781)
- 1999 Orion V 40' (7855-7869)
- 1998 Orion V 30' (7903-7912)
- 1999 Orion V 30' (7913-7917)
- 2000 Orion V 40' (7782-7799; 7870-7890)
- 2001 Orion V 30' (7918-7927)
- 2001 Orion V 35' (7891-7898)
- 2007 New Flyer D40LFR (9700-9751)
- 2007 New Flyer D35LFR (9752-9767)
[edit] Bus lines
The following are the line numbers and names that make up the Fairfax Connector bus system.
| North County routes | |
|---|---|
| Route number(s) | Route name |
| Herndon routes | |
| 922, 924, 926 | Herndon Line |
| 927 | South Herndon |
| 929 | Centreville Road |
| 950/980 | Herndon/Reston Town Center |
| 951/952 | Reston/Herndon Reverse Commute |
| Reston routes | |
| 505/556 | Reston Town Center |
| 551, 553, 557 | South Reston |
| 552, 554 | North Reston |
| 574 | Tysons Corner - Reston Town Center |
| 585 | South Reston |
| 595 | Pentagon Express |
| 597 | Crystal City Express |
| RIBS 1 & 3 | Lake Anne/Hunters Woods |
| RIBS 2 | South Lakes/Herndon-Monroe Line |
| RIBS 4 | North Point/Herndon Line |
| Tysons routes | |
| 401 | Backlick-Gallows Road |
| 402, 403 | Vienna-Merrifield-Dunn Loring |
| 425, 427 | Tysons-West*Park Transit Station/West Falls Church Metro |
| Government Center routes | |
| 621, 622, 623 | Government Center |
| 605 | Fair Oaks-Reston |
| South County routes | |
| Route number(s) | Route name |
| 101 | Fort Hunt |
| 109 | Rose Hill |
| 151, 161 | Richmond Highway Circulator Counter-Clockwise Loop |
| 152, 162 | Richmond Highway Circulator Clockwise Loop |
| 171 | Richmond Highway |
| 231 | Kingstowne Line Counter-clockwise Loop |
| 232 | Kingstowne Line Clockwise Loop |
| 301 | Telegraph Road Line |
| 303 | Island Creek Line |
| 304 | Saratoga |
| 305 | Newington Forest Line |
| 306 | GMU Line |
| 307 | Laurel Hill/Lorton |
| 310 | Rolling Valley |
| 321 | Greater Springfield Circulator Counter-clockwise Loop |
| 322 | Greater Springfield Circulator Clockwise Loop |
| 331 | I-95 Circulator Counter-clockwise Loop |
| 332 | I-95 Circulator Clockwise Loop |
| 380 | Franconia-Springfield/Pentagon Express |
| 401 | Backlick-Gallows Road |
| Source: Fairfax Connector | |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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