As Federal Funds Recede, Can F.C. Afford to Subsidize GEORGE Bus?

In a cost-saving move prompted by data showing minimal ridership during off-peak hours and a whopping per ride subsidy, the Falls Church City Council is contemplating eliminating midday, late night and weekend operations of the still-new but costly intra-city GEORGE bus operation.

As federal grant money dries up this September, the City is faced with having to bear the full cost of operating the present system at $575,640 per year. That includes a net taxpayer subsidy of as much as $19 per ride during non-peak hours for the system.

Although virtually all public transit involves subsidies, GEORGE's is the highest in the region, Falls Church Assistant City Manager Wyatt Shields told the Council Monday night. Net losses per ride in Fairfax City, Alexandria and Arlington range between $1 and $3.34 compared to GEORGE's numbers, which are $5 for peak hours during the week and balloon to $14 per ride on Sundays, $15 per ride during non-peak weekday hours.and $19 per ride on Saturdays.

But low ridership is due, in part, to the newness of the system, Shields said. "It always takes time for the public to adapt to and appreciate what a system like this offers," he said. "The numbers will get better over time."

GEORGE ridership during off-peak weekday hours and weekends is only 23% of its total ridership but accounts for 48% of its cost, Shields said. By eliminating service at those times, in combination with increasing the fare from 25 cents to 50 cents, the City could save $377,000.

Another option, keeping the midday weekday service but concentrating it in the City's commercial corridors where there seems to be the most use at that time, could, with the added fare, save $232,000.

GEORGE was originally the child of a federal grant to test experimental transportation technology. The original idea was to test a hybrid electric bus in real world conditions. However, none of the buses developed for the project could function adequately and the whole idea was dumped.

The City wanted to keep the program, however, although the buses that replaced the failed electric models are run on clean, but common, diesel technology. The City fought to keep the federal grant, and the program, on grounds that GEORGE would be an economic development tool, facilitating ridership between the downtown commercial sectors and the two Metro rail stations flanking the City.

Shields said the GEORGE system is used an average of 300 times per day and the cost of running the system is $1,918 per day.

The Council is slated to make its final decision on the City's funding for GEORGE at its April 26 general business meeting, in conjunction with its adoption of the Fiscal Year 2005 budget.