Issue 45: 15 Years Ago: Loudoun Commuter Bus Service BeginsThis is a featured page



photo of launch of commuter bus service
 Fifteen years ago, on November 9, 1992, the Loudoun County government and Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation jointly announced the launch of a new commuter bus service.

It marked the beginning of the county’s operation of the commuter bus service. The red and white Loudoun Commuter Express buses were provided by Virginia Coach.

Sterling Commuter Bus, a privately operated service that had been in existence for many years, provided management services on a voluntary basis. At the request of Sterling Commuter Bus officials, the county commuter service eventually took over the financially struggling Sterling Commuter Bus operation.

The Loudoun Commuter Express buses carried commuters from Purcellville, Hamilton, Leesburg, Ashburn Village, Ashburn Farm and Sterling to more than 20 stops in Arlington and Washington, D.C. The fare was $38 for ten one-way tickets or trips.

In October 1994, the county announced a two-year agreement with Thomas Tours to operate the commuter bus service. The Board of Supervisors authorized an expenditure of $261,576 in county gasoline tax revenues to subsidize the service.

At that time, three buses ran daily between Leesburg, Sterling, and numerous stops in Arlington and Washington, D.C. Two of the buses also picked up passengers in Purcellville and Hamilton.

The service expanded the next year with the addition of a fourth commuter bus and a connector service to the Sterling Wal-Mart from stops in CountrySide, Cascades, Sugarland Run and Sterling Park.

The commuter service proved to be increasingly popular, growing from about 45,000 passenger trips in 1994 to nearly 400,000 ten years later. New stops and routes were added, including connections to the West Falls Church Metro station and a reverse commute service that brought employees to their jobs in Loudoun.

In July 2003, the Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of a fleet of 22 MCI D4500 commuter coaches, using a combination of state funding and lease purchase financing. A contract to maintain and operate these county-owned buses was awarded to Yellow Transportation.

Now known as Loudoun County Transit, the commuter bus service has a fleet of 33, of which 28 are in revenue service, with an annual ridership of more than 650,000 passenger trips.
Sources: Loudoun County Office of Transportation Services
Leesburg Today
 Loudoun County 2004 Annual Report
Image: Photo of officials at the early morning launch of a new Sterling Commuter Bus service in November 1990; Virginia Senator Charles L. Waddell and Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Betty W. Tatum are at left (photo by Jim Barnes)


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