North Fairfax News

City of Fairfax issued the following announcement on Feb. 3

At its Jan. 25 meeting, the Fairfax City Council endorsed a three-year pilot program to provide free rides to CUE Bus passengers. City Council also endorsed a plan to apply for a Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation’s Transit Ridership Incentive Program (TRIP) grant to help reduce the cost of the pilot and extend its duration for a fourth year. At the conclusion of the pilot, staff will assess the impacts of zero-fare transit.

CUE Bus serves a large transit-dependent population that relies on daily bus service for essential trips. (In fiscal year 2019, 600,000 trips were provided.) This reliance on public transit was evident during the height of the pandemic lockdown in June 2020, when CUE Bus maintained 45% of its ridership while another local bus service decreased to 25% of normal ridership.

Fare-Free Rides

Passengers have been riding CUE Bus for free since March 2020, when fare collection was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, fares paid for less than 9% of CUE Bus expenses, with 45% of passengers riding free (children, Fairfax County Public Schools students, Metro Access members, and George Mason University students, faculty, and staff.) An additional 8% of passengers rode the bus at a discounted rate. Rides will remain fare-free for all riders through at least June 2025.

The mayor and council believe encouraging public transit supports the city’s sustainability goals, such as air quality improvements and energy conservation. Public transit also reduces congestion on city streets, reduces commuting costs, and increases access to jobs and local businesses. The zero-fare pilot will provide equitable access to these benefits.

Equitable Access to Public Transit

City staff expect the zero-fare pilot program to provide several meaningful benefits for riders, including:

• Reducing the economic burden on low-income and minority groups (Daily riders could save $1,000 per year);
• Providing improved mobility opportunities and connections for low-income residents and households with one or no car;
• Improving access to local businesses for all riders.

An in-depth study that began in fall 2021 found that a zero-fare program would:

• Increase ridership;
• Reduce barriers to using public transit;
• Increase system awareness and build pride in CUE;
• Improve operating efficiency;
• Improve access to state funding;
• Reduce expenses for fare-collection equipment.

Program Cost and Funding

The cost of the three-year pilot to the city would be approximately $1.2 million. If the TRIP application is approved, the cost for a four-year pilot would be $921,000. Fiscal year 2022 American Rescue Plan Act funding of $180,000 has been approved for CUE, and additional ARPA funding is proposed to fund the remainder of the three or four-year pilot.

Original source can be found here.