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Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008

Fairfax Connector Fare Increase in January

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an increase in bus fares and the elimination of paper transfers for Fairfax Connector bus service, effective January 4, 2009. Public meetings were held in November to receive comments from the public regarding the proposed fare increases. The last fare increase for Fairfax Connector occurred in 2004.

Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Family Services (DFS) staff are reaching out to county agencies and non-profits serving low-income populations to assist them in making clients award of the change and provide strategies to save money under the new system.

The regular base fare will increase from $1.00 to $1.25 if paying by SmarTrip card, and from $1.00 to $1.35 if paying by cash. Passengers using SmarTrip cards will receive discounts when transferring to bus or rail, but passengers paying cash will be charged full fare on each vehicle they board, as paper transfers will be eliminated. Bus-to-bus transfers using SmarTrip cards will be extended from two to three hours. A "Balanced Transfer" policy will be implemented whereby bus-to-rail passengers will received a $.50 discount. The discount for rail-to-bus passengers will be reduced from $.90 to $.50, so the discount is the same whether bus-to-rail or rail-to-bus. You may review Fairfax Connector's approved fare policy on our Approved Fare Chart Web Page.

By encouraging the use of SmarTrip cards, passengers will experience faster boarding and fewer delays resulting from cash and paper transfer issues, and Fairfax Connector will no longer incur the cost of printing paper transfers.
The Board of Supervisors also adopted a Standing Fairfax Connector Fare Policy that would generally follow the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) fare changes in implementation date and rate structure. The increased fares on Fairfax Connector buses will parallel Metrobus and Metrorail fares, which were increased in January 2008.

WMATA also will be eliminating paper transfers effective January 4, 2009, and will remove transfer machines from Metrorail stations that day.   The elimination of paper transfers on the Fairfax Connector will take place at the same time.

For general information, contact the Department of Transportation at 703-324-1100.