Fairfax Connector Alert:
Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) continually evaluates bus service on Fairfax Connector to ensure responsiveness to the needs of the public. Outreach on the ten-year Transit Strategic Plan (TSP) was conducted this year and we heard from members of the public on what would create a bus system that works for everyone. The full TSP report can be found below, and in the table, each section of the report is provided.
Full TSP Report, Fiscal Year 2023-Fiscal Year 2033
2021 TSP Outreach Summary and Survey Results
The 2021 Transit Strategic Plan survey solicited feedback from December 30, 2020 - February 22, 2021, with 2,901 respondents. The survey was tailored to frequent, occasional, and non-riders in Fairfax County to solicit opinions and preferences from participants.
The survey consisted of two major sections:
The travel patterns section of the survey identified how the respondents used Fairfax Connector prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they will use Fairfax Connector in the future. Based on 2,901 responses the overall results showed:
Prior to the pandemic
Thinking about the future
The opportunities for improvement section helped identify features of Fairfax Connector service that would make it a more appealing travel option. Those surveyed were asked to choose areas that needed improvement based on their experience riding Fairfax Connector. The following areas were used to understand riders’ preference:
Based on 2,901 responses the overall results showed that prior to the pandemic, comfort and safety were the areas that needed the least improvement, more service when I want (bus comes more often and during earlier/later hours) was the area that needed the most improvement (slide 7 of presentation).
Trade-off questions were used to understand what the community would prioritize or prefer if a decision had to be made about providing certain transit services. The following options for trade-off were choices given in the survey.
Results from the Trade-off questions showed:
Additional Thoughts
Finally, respondents were asked to share additional thoughts or ideas about the Fairfax Connector service, and out of all areas in need of improvement more frequent service was preferred by those surveyed. (slide 13).
Public Meeting #1 - Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, 7-9 p.m. | Presentation Recording | Presentation Slides |
Public Meeting #2 - Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, 7-9 p.m. | Presentation Recording | Presentation Slides |
Public Meeting #3 - Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, 12-1:30 p.m. | Presentation Recording | Presentation Slides |
The TSP is a county-wide review of bus service and a plan for future service. FCDOT encourages residents to engage and share their ideas and concerns for the future of the Fairfax Connector bus system.The TSP incorporates outreach results from short-term, sub-area studies that are being conducted in: Herndon-Reston; Franconia-Springfield; Centreville-Chantilly-Vienna-Tysons (CCVT); and Huntington (part of the Richmond Highway BRT project).
To enhance outreach to all communities in Fairfax County, FCDOT produced and mailed a direct mail brochure translated into: English, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Amharic, Farsi, Urdu, and Tagolog to every resident in Fairfax County in January 2021.