The labor union representing workers at three local bus systems across Northern Virginia is reacting favorably to a proposal for a regional merger.
“It will be better for workers and for riders, better for communities,” said Benjamin Lynn, a representative of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, during an Oct. 21 roundtable discussion convened to consider the possibility of consolidating Fairfax Connector, Fairfax City’s CUE Bus, Arlington Transit (ART) and Alexandria’s DASH.
Two people have been hospitalized following a collision between a truck and a Fairfax County Public Schools bus on Richmond Highway during the afternoon rush-hour, police say.
Officers and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department units were dispatched at around 4:56 p.m. for the crash at the intersection of Richmond Highway (Route 1) and Mohawk Lane in Woodlawn, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Regional leaders agree more collaboration could be beneficial, but see little reason to pursue a consolidation of four Northern Virginia bus systems into one.
“I did come here … with an open mind, open to any compelling reason [to support consolidation],” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said at an Oct. 21 roundtable convened by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT). “I’m still looking for it — I don’t see it.”
Fairfax County leaders and their regional counterparts are champing at the bit to get moving on a coordinated Route 7 bus rapid transit (BRT) network.
“If there’s only one thing I hope to see in my lifetime, it’s this project,” Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said half-jokingly at an Oct. 1 meeting of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) board of directors.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is considering a number of service changes for its Fairfax Connector bus system next spring, including cutting four routes due to low ridership and adding new limited-stop service between the Tysons and Franconia-Springfield Metro stations.
In advance of the service changes, which are concentrated in the Franconia and Springfield area, FCDOT will host two virtual community information meetings: one on Sept. 23 at noon, and another on the same day at 7 p.m. Residents can also leave feedback via an online survey that will be open through Sept. 30.
Local bus networks serving both Fairfax County and Fairfax City posted year-over-year passenger declines in fiscal year 2026, even as transit usage increased more broadly across Northern Virginia.
Fairfax Connector saw a drop of 1.1% and Fairfax City’s CUE service was down 4.5%, according to data from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation as analyzed by FFXnow.
Some Fairfax Connector riders may now be able to ride free, thanks to help from new state funding, the county bus system announced last Thursday (Aug. 27).
The Connector will offer a new Transit Ridership Incentive Program, called TRIP100, offering 100% off fares to eligible riders, up from the 50% discount previously provided.
Fairfax County is expanding the use of electric and hybrid-electric buses in Fairfax Connector in an effort to reduce emissions and “modernize” its transit fleet.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) announced this week that 19 new next-generation hybrid-electric buses are being added, advancing a goal to transition nearly a quarter of the fleet to the technology by the end of the year.
To help kids in Fairfax County fight hunger after school, a colorfully painted school bus is visiting their neighborhoods in the evenings.
The nonprofit Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) hosted an event yesterday evening in Hybla Valley to debut a brand-new, converted school bus that delivers free after-school meals to local kids.
A pedestrian was killed earlier this evening (Sunday) after being struck by a Metrobus in Bailey’s Crossroads.
Emergency personnel were dispatched to Columbia Pike at Carlin Springs Road at around 8:34 p.m. for a crash involving a trapped pedestrian, according to scanner traffic.
