State urges use of Woodbridge – Tysons bus

Woodbridge, Va. –– As work on the High Occupancy Toll lanes continues on the Capital Beltway, state transportation officials want more drivers use the Tysons Corner Express bus to get around traffic delays.

The bus runs between the Woodbridge Virginia Railway Express Station and Tysons Corner, and is one of two state-funded buses that provide free wireless internet to riders. It uses the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on Interstate 95, but then uses the regular travel lanes on the Beltway to make it the rest of the trek.

“As part of our plan to keep traffic moving during this intense construction phase, we strive to move more people with fewer cars,” said Virginia Mega Projects Program Director John Lynch. “By providing vanpool incentives, express bus services and other ways to get around, commuters have more control over how they want to spend their time instead of getting stuck behind the wheel of a car.”

The push to get more people to use the bus comes while ridership numbers are going up.

Operators logged the express bus’ highest ridership to date with 151 people, up from 125 in August.

While that number doesn’t mean each of the four morning and afternoon trips to and from Tysons Corner are packed full of people, transit officials say the bus is catching on.

“Overall, ridership numbers have been growing every month since the spring.  When the service launched in November 2009, we projected that in one year we would be carrying an average of 120 passengers per day, but that figure has already been surpassed,” said Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission spokeswoman Christine Rodrigo.

Two shuttles that circulate around Tysons Corner also make it easier for those to connect to where they’re going.

An eastern shuttle service picks up express passengers at the West Park Transit station, and serves stops at Northrop Grumman, MITRE 1 and Capital One, said Rodrigo.

A lunchtime shuttle also runs every 10 minutes between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., offering two loop routes around the suburb turned city.

The first Tyson’s Express bus leaves the VRE station in Woodbridge at 6:10 a.m., serves a commuter lot off Gordon Boulevard east of I – 95, and then takes riders to the Tysons Corner Transit Center, West Park transit center and to West Park after Jones Branch Drive.

The first bus bound for Woodbridge leaves Tysons Transit Center at 4 p.m. and the last at 6:40 p.m.

Riders are charged $3.30 for a one-way fare, or $2.65 for a one-way fare when paying with a SmarTrip card.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation will fund the $3 million bus until the end of HOT lane construction in December 2012.

The state also funds a Tysons Express bus to and from Loudoun County.