GEORGE’s Fate Now Known

Unlike the MTA's fabled Charlie " 'Neath the streets of Boston," GEORGE's fate on the streets of Falls Church has been determined.

The Falls Church City Council has decided its local bus system, GEORGE, will continue to roam City streets but on a reduced, rush-hour only schedule and under the operation of Arlington Transit (ART) rather than WMATA.

One-way fares will increase from $.50 to $1.35 cash, or $1.25 if using a SmarTrip card, making them consistent with other regional transit systems (Metro, ART, Fairfax Connector, etc.).

ART's anticipated hourly operating rate for the GEORGE system is $76.68, which is 23% lower than WMATA's $100. The FY 2010 cost for operation and maintenance is estimated to be $300,000. Approximately 50% of the cost will be covered by fares, state Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) funds and City general funds; the other 50% by Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) funds, which are collected from the extra 2% per gallon gasoline tax Northern Virginia motorists pay to support regional public transit.

A City Council-created task force will assess the City's transit needs, investigate system cost effectiveness and performance measures, and recommend whether GEORGE service should continue beyond 2010. An effort to re-brand the system and re-market GEORGE will try to bolster ridership and interest in the service.

GEORGE gained a fair amount of notoriety when it became known that he was collecting $18,000 annually at the fare box and costing the City and State taxpayers about $600,000, or $8.00 per trip in subsidies.