Fairfax Connector, Metrobus to ramp up service
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| Connector route 401 on Little River Turnpike in Annandale. |
Fairfax Connector will resume full service on all routes starting Saturday, Aug. 29, and Metrobus will ramp up service Aug. 23.
All Connector and Metrobus routes will continue to be free until further notice. Both systems require face coverings. Fairfax Connector staff have distributed more than 15,000 masks to passengers and will continue to have them on-hand for those without one, while supplies last.
Connector riders (except those who need to use a wheelchair ramp) will continue to be required to enter and exit the bus using the rear doors. Rear-door access is also required on Metrobus unless people need help with mobility.
Starting this Sunday, Metrobus will restore approximately 75 percent of service throughout the region, provide enhanced weekday service, and maintain all-day frequent service on key corridors.
Effective Sunday, Aug. 23, service will operate on a long list of routes, including 3A, which serves the Annandale area. Check timetables for schedule information.
“Some routes with extremely low ridership or that are located on bus lines served by multiple routes will remain temporarily suspended,” Metro states. The 29W route in Annandale is on that list.
Related story: Metro board saves 3A and 29W bus routes, but more funding cuts likely due to coronavirus pandemic
Metrobuses will begin operating earlier and run later, beginning as early as 4 a.m. and ending as late as midnight daily with schedules varying by route.
The biggest improvement will come on weekends, where most bus service will be restored. Metro has been operating “lifeline” service on only 29 routes but will resume 85-90 percent of pre-COVID weekend service levels. This includes routes that connect area hospitals to nearby Metro stations, eliminating the need for special hospital shuttles that had been operating as part of Metro’s pandemic response.
On weekdays, service will improve on 174 Metrobus routes with most operating near pre-COVID service levels. In addition to routes currently operating, 58 more routes will run weekdays, 82 more on Saturdays, and 72 more on Sundays, with most operating near pre-pandemic service levels.