Annual Northern Virginia transit ridership among all local and regional transit systems, including Metro, has increased 17% since FY 2002.

Metrorail and Metrobus carried over 115 million passenger trips in Northern Virginia in 2005 – the equivalent of 12 to 15 freeway lanes.

WMATA’s Metro system is the second largest rail system in the U.S. 

Almost half of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies, representing over $2 trillion in revenue, are headquartered in America ’s transit-intensive metropolitan areas.  In addition to enhancing employee recruitment, businesses that are accessible by public transportation experience more employee reliability and less absenteeism and turnover. (APTA 2004 Public Transportation Fact Book)

In addition to the success of regional Metrobus and Metrorail, local bus systems began to emerge in Northern Virginia in 1984 with the creation of Alexandria ’s DASH.  Average weekday boardings in that year were only 753.  In 1986, the Fairfax Connector and city of Fairfax CUE were created and local transit system ridership grew to 9,619 average weekday boardings.  With VRE and PRTC’s OmniRide starting in 1992, weekday boardings reached 25,681.  In 1996 Loudoun County began commuter service now known as LC Transit and in 1999 Arlington County ’s ART began.  As of the close of FY 2003, boardings grew to 63,827 on seven separate local systems including VRE.