Proposal to Improve On-Time Performance Rate for Fairfax Connector Route 321
	A bus being ten or fifteen minutes late is no big deal, right?  But what if that bus is consistently ten to fifteen minutes late – every day – to the point where the rider never knows when the bus will come.  What if those riders choose a different service as a result, one that will allow them to plan in advance, one that is reliable? What does that do to your bottom line?

Problem
        I have been living on Edsall Road in Springfield for two years now, a route serviced by the Fairfax Connector 321 bus and I am sorry to say that in my experience this bus service has never been on schedule, regardless of time of day or weather conditions.  While this bus would be a convenient and cost-effective method of commuter transport for me and my husband, due to the unreliability of service we choose to use the more expensive Metrobus 18E service from the Pentagon.
         In fact, on days when my office has closed early, I have stayed later because the Metrobus service does not begin its 18E service until 4:33 PM.  In other words, I am willing to pay more money and delay my day rather than use a service that has been unreliable 100 percent of the time I have used it.  How many others are like me?
	Rebecca Pearson, Director of Marketing at the Travel Industry Association has also had issues with this service in the past. She complained “I was late for a meeting with very important clients because of the unreliable performance of the 321.  Not only did it cause me personal embarrassment, it reflected poorly on my organization. As a result, if I know I need to be somewhere at a specific time, I no longer use the Fairfax Connector.” Ms. Pearson now chooses to drive in to Washington, D.C. and pay for parking, proving that reliability is more important than cost to some riders.
	Another unhappy customer is Mr. Gavin Toner who says he is “extremely frustrated that the buses are consistently late by 20 minutes or more.”  He suggested that if the schedule was adjusted to reflect the traffic patterns it would make for a much less stressful commute.

Research
	Unreliability is not a new problem for the Fairfax Connector. In a May 2003 article in Metro Magazine, Kris Miller, a management analyst with the Virginia Department of Transportation, revealed that in customer surveys the top issue for riders of the Fairfax Connector was reliability. The article also reported an 11 percent increase in ridership due to an improvement in service.  So, how can we use this information? 	According to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation’s Christina Farrar, the average monthly ridership for the 321 route was over 27,000 during July and August of 2008, comprising more than one fifth of the total monthly ridership for the Huntington Division. This is a substantial figure, considering the Huntington Division consists of 22 bus routes in total.   Since each rider pays $1 per ride, it can be estimated that the 321 route will generate an annual revenue of $324,000.

Photo courtesy of Fairfax County
Solution
	Currently, the 321 route is scheduled to depart from Van Dorn Station every 30 minutes during rush hour. I am suggesting that this be adjusted to every 35 minutes so that the buses have enough time to complete the route and get back to the station. This will result in the elimination of one scheduled service time each day. However, this does not have to mean a loss of revenue.
•	Improved reliability will increase ridership.
•	Increased ridership will increase revenue.
•	Increased revenue will negate loss from lost service time.
	Also, since most of the current riders were already willing to wait the extra time for the buses that were late, they are most likely willing to adjust their schedules to conform to the new times and know that the bus will depart on time.  Therefore, even though there might be one less service time, ridership is not likely to be affected
.  	If we refer back to the previous instance when reliability was improved, we see that it resulted in an 11 percent increase in ridership.  If this were to be replicated this time around with the 321 service, annual revenues would increase by $35,640.  Again, this would more than offset any lost revenue due to a decrease in service.    

Benefits
In your mission statement you claim to provide a reliable public transportation service that “provides a cost-saving alternative to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrobus service.” However, with unreliable service, you are driving consumers to use costly alternatives. By improving the on-time performance of the Fairfax Connector 321, you will not only fulfill your mission, you will increase ridership, revenues and brand loyalty. But it’s not just about your bottom line.  You will be providing a great service to thousands of commuters in the local Fairfax community. A true win-win situation.

Works Cited
Braga, Beverly. “10 Most Improved Transit Systems” Metro Magazine May, 2003.  Print.
“Fairfax Connector.” Fairfax County Virginia. n.d. Web. Dec. 5, 2008: 
Ferrar, Christina. Personal interview. Dec. 12, 2008.
“Fund 100: County Transit System.” Fairfax County Government. n.d. Web. Dec. 5, 	2008: 
Pearson, Rebecca. Personal interview.  Dec. 4, 2008.
Toner, Gavin. Personal interview. Dec. 4, 2008.