Fairfax City is considering transforming its CUE bus system by offering more frequent and direct connections between the most popular stops, as well as speeding up routes — but also cut service for some riders.
A draft transportation development plan for the next 10 years of service envisions three simplified routes between the Vienna metro station, Old Town, and George Mason University, the areas with the highest demand.
Currently, the most frequent bus comes every 33 minutes; depending on the route, that gap could dip down to every 20 or 30 minutes at certain times of day. There could also be opportunities to expand weekend service.
Yet, in order to keep the plan cost-neutral, the city would need to reduce the number of bus stops from 200 to 121, Lucas Muller, a mobility planner with the consultant Kimley Horn, which has been leading the plan, told the Fairfax City Council during a work session on Oct. 7.
Chain Bridge Road (north of Old Town), which has no alternative bus service, would be the most affected. Three other locations — Nutley Street and Arlington Blvd, Judicial Drive, and Eaton Place — would also be cut, but with lesser impact. These areas would still have service through other bus systems, or are within a quarter-mile of proposed service.
The affected bus stops all had at least one reason for the cut: if they were within 600 feet of another stop, were no longer along a CUE route, had poor access for pedestrians, or had fewer than 5 daily boardings.
Reducing the number of bus stops could be controversial, Muller acknowledged.
“People have a lot of personal connections to their bus stop. And that’s certainly understandable,” he said. “People have been using it for a long time, and even just walking a slightly longer distance can be a challenge for some or frustrating. But consolidating bus stops can also have a lot of benefits: speeding up routes, making service more reliable, so there are fewer stops.”
During the winter, staff interviewed hundreds of the people who ride the city’s fleet of 12 buses, which currently runs four routes on two loops throughout the city.
“We heard from riders and discussions with the bus operators that sometimes those loops, those two-way loops, can be a little bit confusing, in terms of which direction to go on, where they’re going first,” Muller said. “Sometimes they get on the opposite way just so they can be on the bus rather than waiting outside.”
Current riders and residents can continue to give feedback throughout October: via an online comment map, in-person at the fall festival this Saturday (Oct. 11), and with one-on-one discussions with staff while riding the bus.
By November or December, the plan’s concepts will be revised, and information will be added about phasing in changes. In November, the council will begin another discussion on CUE’s current zero-fare policy.
