ART Service Changes

Effective July 6, 2010:

*ART has a new route, ART 45 Columbia Pike-DHS/Sequoia-Rosslyn

ART 45 buses run every 30 minutes Monday through Friday, giving you an easy way to go green between Rosslyn, the Arlington County Department of Human Services offices at the Sequoia Plaza and Columbia Pike at Four Mile Run Drive. Stops include the Rosslyn Metro Station and several major intersections along the route.

*Schedules have changed for ART 42, ART 77, and ART 87

Visit www.arlingtontransit.com for updated schedules, maps, and more information.

Comments

[charlotte]

What was the reason for the recent reduction in service?? Regular 20-minute headways during rush hour was not ideal, but it was predictable and convenient enough that I rode it 2-3 times a week. Now there are TWO buses an hour, during peak commuting times, with inconsistent and confusing headways, AND you've made the route longer??? So waiting for the bus, riding the bus, and walking to my destination is now guaranteed to take a minimum of 45 minutes. Remember that driving between these two points takes <15 minutes and Metro isn't usually longer than 30. So basically, the ART 42 is now completely impractical and undesirable for anyone who has any other option for getting to work.

I am no fan of driving, and would really love to take transit from my home in Ballston to my job in Crystal City. But all the available transit between these two points (Metro, ART 42, or Metrobus 23A) takes THREE TIMES as long to get me there as it would to drive. I want to be Car Free, Arlington County, but you and Metro just aren't working with me.

[Brandon]

I was beyond excited to see this new route between Columbia Pike and Rosslyn! Such trips currently take forever since a transfer is involved at a metro station. I was going to enjoy riding ART45 2 nights a week. But oh no! It stops running in the 7PM hour! Looks like I won't get to enjoy it since I would need to ride in the 9PM hour. I hope ridership is sufficient to call for an eventual extension of operating hours. :-)

[Gwendolyn Nixon-Carter, Transit Communications Analyst]

Hi Charlotte, thanks for your comment. We made the recent changes to the ART 42 because it was not operating on schedule with the previous timetable. When the Metrobus 24P became the ART 42, ART copied the timetable which was written for 3 buses during peak periods, one mid-day.

However, Metrobus used a fourth bus, a spare stationed at Ballston Metro. When a bus from Pentagon was running late, WMATA would throw the spare bus into service. This route is budgeted for three ART buses during peak periods and 20 minute frequencies are not achievable with 3 buses. With the addition of a small loop to serve the new Arlington County Department of Human Services offices in the middle of the route, the timetable had to be rewritten. The new 25 minute service frequency is achievable and insures buses will run on schedule.

I hope despite the new schedule that you’ll give the new ART 42 a try and find it works for you. If you have a mobile device, you can visit www.arlingtontransit.com and click on RealTime to view when the next bus will arrive at your stop.

[Gwendolyn Nixon-Carter, Transit Communications Analyst]

Brandon, glad to like it! As we look toward the future of ART, we hope to see many of our lines extended into PM hours. If you're near the 77, it now runs until 10:55 pm.

[charlotte]

Thanks for your quick response, Gwendolyn! I think that an earlier blog post referenced the possibility of another bus being purchased for this route in early Fall, allowing a return to 20-minute headways. Is that still in the works? I understand why the schedule changes were made, but unfortunately, the speed and frequency of service still compares very unfavorably to driving and taking Metro. I much prefer being able to take the ART 42 over Metro, so I hope I can plan on doing that regularly again soon.

On a side note, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your, and by extension the county government's, responsiveness to concerns in forums like this. It really is one of the things that make Arlington such a great place to live.

[Gwendolyn Nixon-Carter, Transit Communications Analyst]

Charlotte, good question. At this point, we don't plans to add another bus to the 42 for this year. However, our Operations Staff will monitor ridership levels and adjust future plans accordingly. We do expect ridership to go up.

Thanks for the compliment! Let us know if you have any further questions.

[Michael]

Thank you for adding the 45 route. My question is, why are there so few bus stops for the 45 bus? I live near Washington Blvd and Rt. 50. I have to walk all the way up to Washington and Pershing to catch the bus, passing four other bus stops along the way (which only service the 77 and 42 busses.) I think they have added the 45 bus to the bus stops going southbound (which is nice since the first time I rode it last week I went past my house and got stuck at DHS because none of the bus stops were marked yet.) Is there a reason why the 45 can't stop at any other stop along Washington Blvd. northbound?

[Gwendolyn Nixon-Carter, Transit Communications Analyst]

Michael, thanks for your comment. At this point the ART 45 is a limited stop service – we have two buses and in order to run on a 30 minute timetable, this was necessary. We will begin monitoring on-time performance after school starts to see if we can afford to serve more stops. Where along Washington Blvd. would you board?

[Michael]

I would board at the stop closest to Route 50., which I believe is at 2nd or Wayne St. (there is a traffic light for pedistrians only on Washington Blvd.) The ten minute walk to the bus stop at Pershing wasn't too bad, but I was afraid there wasn't going to be a bus stop for the 45 at all, and with the heat and humidity, I was very sweaty when I boarded.

[Gwendolyn Nixon-Carter, Transit Communications Analyst]

Michael, if you are close to Wayne/2nd Street off of Rt 50, the stop at the new DHS building might be closer for you.

[Neal Sigmon]

Why has service on the 87 line to the Shirley Park Giant been reduced so dramatically? Also, reliability has deteriorated recently.