Draft:RideSmart Bus

• Comment: Please take out the operational details such as fares, timetables, etc., these have no place in an encyclopaedia article (although they could conceivably go into our sister project Wikivoyage?) and are likely to change over time anyway. DoubleGrazing (talk) 09:01, 23 October 2024 (UTC)

• Comment: The sources are either primary, or hyperlocal secondary, and don't add up to notability. (Also, per WP:BUSOUTCOMES, individual routes/services very seldom are deemed notable by the community.)
  Or put another way: there must be millions of bus services in the world – what makes this one worthy of inclusion in a global encyclopaedia? DoubleGrazing (talk) 08:59, 23 October 2024 (UTC)

• Comment: Currently the sourcing here isn't sufficient to show that that this bus meets our general notability guideline. Two of the three sources are primary, meaning they are from the bus company itself, so they can't show notability. The third source could potentially be used but, as a smaller local source, would need to be coupled with several others to show that the bus has received significant coverage. ThadeusOfNazereth(he/him)^{Talk to Me!} 19:15, 22 October 2024 (UTC)

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RideSmart Commuter Bus is a fixed-route, once-daily commuter bus operated by the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission (NSVRC), with stops in Northern Virginia and D.C.

Route

The route is operated once-daily in each direction, entering D.C. in the morning, and leaving D.C. in the afternoon.

Service is scheduled to start in the morning at the Waterloo Park and Ride off of U.S. 50 (John Mosby Highway) in Clarke County in Boyce, Virginia at 5:30 am, making intermediate stops at Rosslyn, Virginia at 6:45 am, Metro Center in Washington, D.C. at 6:55 am, and ending at L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C. at 7:00 am.

In the afternoon, the bus is scheduled to stop at Metro Center at 3:40 pm, L'Enfant Plaza at 3:50pm, Rosslyn at 4:00 pm, and finally ending at Waterloo Park and Ride at 5:15 pm.

Service does not run on New Years Day (January 1st), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Third Monday in January), Washington’s Birthday (Third Monday in February), Memorial Day (Last Monday in May), Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19th), Independence Day (July 4th), Labor Day (First Monday in September), Columbus Day (Second Monday in October), Veterans Day (November 11th), Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November), or Christmas Day (December 25th).

The route is operated under contract by D.C. Motorcoach.

History

On October 8th, 2023, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued for a commuter bus service between the Northern Shenandoah Valley and the D.C. metropolitan area. The goal of the proposal was to reduce the number of single-riders along the I-66 corridor. The service was initiated as part of the Transit Ridership Incentive Program (TRIP) and was granted 1.5 million dollar grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DPRT). The service is expected to eventually be self-sustaining using rider fees.The RFP states that service subsidy percentage per fiscal year will be as follows:

RideSmart Commuter Bus Service Subsidy

First Fiscal Year	Second Fiscal Year	Third Fiscal Year	Forth Fiscal Year	Fifth Fiscal Year
80% DPRT Subsidy	60% DPRT Subsidy	30% DPRT Subsidy	20% DPRT Subsidy	10% DPRT Subsidy
20% NSVRC	40% NSVRC	70% NSVRC	80% NSVRC	90% NSVRC

Service started on May 15th, 2023, and a ribbon cutting ceremony for the service was held on May 17th, 2023.NSVRC is obligated to run the service until June 30th, 2028.

Fares

Fares are collected onboard using the Token Transit app.

Fares can be broken down into the following:

Normal Fares

One Way	$25
Round Trip	$39
12 Round Trip Rides	$336
Monthly Pass	$550

Starting in August of 2024, the first ride is free, and then limited-time discounts are offered on the Token Transit app (automatically applied) and are as follows:

Limited Time Fares

One Way	$9
Round Trip	$18
12 Round Trip Rides	$216
Monthly Pass	$360

Additional discounts can be achieved through employer transit subsidies and SmartBenefits.

Ridership and Future Expansion

Ridership of the bus averages between 4-5 passengers per weekday, with some days reaching ridership of 8-10 passengers. According to Becky Sanretzkey, the goal is for there to eventually be more RideSmart commuter buses to D.C.