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TextPublic Event Launches New South Fairfax County Bus Service
Fairfax County Office of Public
Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
703-324-3187, TTY 703-324-2935, FAX 703-324-2010
Sept. 21, 2004
Public Event Launches New South Fairfax County Bus Service
Bus passengers in south Fairfax County will have more connections, more options, and more services beginning Sunday, Sept. 26. A public kick-off event, highlighting new bus services and routes, will take place the same day at the South County Center located at 8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria. The public is invited to enjoy entertainment, food (cake, ice cream) and a ribbon-cutting ceremony starting at 1:30 p.m. Congressman James Moran, Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly, Supervisors Gerald W. Hyland (Mount Vernon District), Dana Kauffman (Lee District) and other dignitaries are scheduled to attend and address the crowd.
The celebration launches the new south Fairfax County bus service. New bus routes and schedules will replace 24 existing ones to Springfield, Franconia, Kingstowne, Hayfield, Lorton, Saratoga, Fort Belvoir and along the Richmond Highway corridor. New services feature more roundtrip loops instead of one-way routes. In general, service begins earlier in the morning, runs later in the evening, provides more midday and weekend service and shortens wait time between trips during peak hours.
The public is welcome to board and view newly-designed purple Richmond Highway Express (REX) buses. The buses, also nicknamed “REX” because of a yellow lion logo on the side, are designed to help riders easily identify the unique express service. Transponders installed on the buses automatically extend green lights to move more buses quickly along the congested Route 1 corridor. The buses are equipped with fare boxes that accept SmarTrip fare cards and will run every 15 minutes during rush hour. Riders can use the plastic, rechargeable cards at all Metrorail stations. REX limited-stop express bus service is intended to shorten travel time from Fort Belvoir to Huntington and King Street Metro stations. South Fairfax County commuters will also benefit from recent improvements to streets and sidewalks along Richmond Highway.
Transportation officials will staff information booths at Huntington, Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street Metrorail stations to distribute brochures and answer questions from the public about the new routes. Information booths at the stations will be open from Sunday, Sept. 26 until Friday, Oct. 8, during peak hours (6 – 9 a.m. and 4 – 7 p.m.). The new bus schedules can be folded neatly to pocket size and contain maps and timetables for each route. Information about fares and policies, a cross-reference guide of old-to-new route numbers and additional brochures are also available.
For more information about the new bus service,
call the FAIRFAX CONNECTOR Information Center at 703-339-7200, TTY
703-339-1608, visit the Connector Store at Springfield Mall, or visit the
Web site at www.fairfaxconnector.com.
For more information about Sunday’s public kick-off, call the Fairfax
County Department of Transportation at 703-324-1120, TTY
703-324-1102.
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