The Tysons Connector will be put to rest later this month.
The free midday shuttle around Tysons Corner was intended to draw commuters out of their cars during lunch in the already congested area amid the massive construction of the Dulles Rail Metro expansion.
But the ridership was “not sufficient to meet minimum goals,” according to its funeral announcement. It will cease running on Dec. 30.
The shuttle began running last November and looped roughly 106 times each weekday, or about once every 10 minutes between 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. As of July, it picked up an average of just 91 passengers per day.
Fairfax County supervisors had considered shutting it down in February but decided to give it a few more months to attract riders. Ridership did not pick up enough, though.
Now officials are pulling the plug on the program that cost about $1.2 million annually. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project paid for the shuttle and Fairfax County ran it.
For the few who did use the service, officials recommend getting around Tysons Corner with the following Metrobus and Fairfax Connector routes, which are not free:
Tysons WestPark transit station
- Metro routes – 2T; 3T; 5A; 23A; 24T; 28T
- Fairfax Connector routes – 401; 402; 425; 427; 574
Tysons Corner transit station
- Metro routes – 2T; 3T; 15K; 15L; 15M; 23A; 28A; 28T; 28X
- Fairfax Connector routes – 401; 402
