A new “microtransit” program meant to shore up gaps in bus routes is expected to launch in northwest Arlington later this year.
Operating as an on-demand service, the initiative would likely use vans or other relatively small vehicles to connect passengers to fixed transit routes and key destinations.
A pilot program, which would last at least a year, would be centered on an area with N. Glebe Road to the east, Langston Blvd to the south and the county line to the north and west. This includes portions of Rock Spring, Yorktown, East Falls Church, Williamsburg, Leeway Overlee, Hall’s Hill and Old Dominion.
The goal is to expand transit options in areas where ridership is too limited to warrant more bus routes.
“Rather than eliminating ART service entirely, Arlington County has opted to implement microtransit service as a stopgap,” a project page says.
Service would run to Metro stations in East Falls Church and Ballston, as well as VHC Health and various schools, libraries and community centers located close to the primary service area.
At a Thursday meeting of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) board of directors, officials raised some cautionary flags — not specifically related to Arlington but about the overall microtransit concept.
“There are advantages and disadvantages” to using smaller-scale microtransit over traditional bus service, NVTC’s Xavier Harmony said during what amounted to a tutorial on the topic.
“You really need to think about what your goals are, what purpose you are trying to achieve,” he said.
He noted that jurisdictions adding microtransit need to be aware that the option is not always a cheaper alternative to buses.
“The answer is not so simple,” he said, adding that the failure rate for microtransit service nationally is about 25% within the first two years and 40% within three years.
Arlington’s representatives to the NVTC board did not speak on the topic at the April 3 meeting. But Fairfax Supervisor James Walkinshaw (D-Braddock) wondered if setting up microtransit systems was a case of reinventing the wheel.
Some localities already partner with local taxi companies, providing vouchers for those needing to get from point to point on a frequent basis, he said.
“At what point does it make more sense … to provide a voucher?” Walkinshaw asked. “Why would you stand up [a new program] on your own?”
NVTC’s Harmony came back to the theme of thinking the goals through before embarking on a microtransit effort.
He noted that while there were several systems operating across Virginia, “it’s really difficult to compare them” because “different goals are trying to be achieved.”
In Northern Virginia, microtransit service is currently operational in Manassas Park and the Quantico-Dumfries-Triangle corridor, operated by OmniRide.
Loudoun County is planning a microtransit pilot, and there are “very preliminary” discussions about a system in Fairfax County, Harmony said.
Grant funding to support efforts is available through the Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
