Supervisors Consider Micro, On-Demand Bus Service | News

A proposal for a pilot microtransit service, which would operate similarly to ride-hailing services like Uber or Lyft, is advancing to the full Board of Supervisors after receiving endorsement from the finance committee Tuesday night.

The proposal comes after a feasibility study was completed by a county consultant in January. Microtransit provides on-demand transportation services, allowing passengers to request rides, typically through their phones, with short wait times and to the destination of their choice. Vehicles used in microtransit are typically minibuses or vans.

Based on the results of the feasibility study, county staff members recommended a one-year pilot program that would serve part of Leesburg, focusing on major commercial hubs, employment centers and medium to high density residential areas. The service zone would include six square miles, including most of the incorporated Town of Leesburg and an estimated population of 23,600. Over a third of the households in that zone have one car or fewer and seven percent of residents have a disability, according to a staff report.

If approved, the service would be provided seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a targeted wait time of 20 minutes. During peak hours, the number of vehicles in service would be three. The one-year pilot is estimated to cost just over $2 million.

The program looks to address five goals: replace existing service where on-demand transit options might be a better fit, supplement existing services, mitigate service gaps, expand transit access and improve accessibility for transit-dependent groups.

The Leesburg service zone aligns with all five of those goals, according to the staff report.

During a Jan. 7 meeting, supervisors authorized nearly $1.2 million for the pilot to fund software, hybrid electric vehicle chargers, five microtransit vehicles, marketing and other startup costs.

The county is attempting to obtain grant funding for the $939,000 difference.

“If the Board directs staff to implement the Microtransit Pilot and grant funding is not received, this shortfall will have to be addressed in a future fund balance request or potentially an FY 2027 budget consideration brought to the Board at a later date,” according to the staff report.

The feasibility study also examined providing service in Sterling in a zone bounded by Loudoun County Parkway, the Fairfax County line, Rt. 7 and the Dulles Greenway, totaling 14.2 square miles.

Of the estimated 44,200 residents within that service zone, over a third of the households have one car or fewer and seven percent of residents have a disability, according to the staff report.

The Sterling zone is expected to cost $2.3 million for the first year.

Director of General Services Ernest Brown told supervisors on Tuesday that he recommends expanding the pilot to Sterling during the second year of the pilot to gather additional information if they want to continue the project.

The committee recommended moving forward with the Leesburg one-year pilot on a 4-0 vote with Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) absent. The proposal now advances to the full board.