Arlington Transit (ART) is a bus transit system that operates in Arlington County, Virginia, and is managed by the county government. The bus system provides service within Arlington County, and connects to Metrobus, nearby Metrorail stations, Virginia Railway Express, and other local bus systems. Most ART routes serve to connect county neighborhoods to local Metrorail stations, as well as the Shirlington Bus Station. It includes part of the Pike Ride service along Columbia Pike, which is shared with WMATA. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .

ART is operated under contract by Transdev, previously First Transit, and has a fleet of 82 buses. The agency provides fixed-route service on fourteen routes within Arlington County, carrying nearly three million passengers annually. To meet the goals of the county's Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE) project, the fleet utilizes compressed natural gas and battery electric buses.

History

Before ART's inception, WMATA was the only transit agency that served Arlington County, providing both bus and rail service. Some Metrobus routes served the neighborhoods of Arlington County, connecting them to the Metrorail system. In November 1998, the Arlington County board created the ART service, as part of their effort to improve transportation in the county. ART's first route served Crystal City, while other routes were still operated by Metrobus.

On April 7, 2003, ART began providing Pike Ride routes by introducing ART Route 41. In September of that year, a new service was started along Columbia Pike, known as Pike Ride.

In 2006, ART began increasing service, both by acquiring Metrobus routes and by bringing service to more neighborhoods. Metrobus Route 24P was the first route to be converted to ART, as Route 42. In 2008, the Shirlington Bus Station, also known as the "Shirlington Transit Center", opened in The Village at Shirlington. The Shirlington Transit Center is located on Quincy Street and is located near Shirley Highway (I-395). With the opening of the new bus station, ART and Metrobus began using it as major transfer point. Shirlington Station connects most bus routes to nearby Metrorail stations, as well as the neighborhood of Fairlington. The next year, route 42 was expanded to full week service, replacing the 24P. The GEORGE bus system was originally operated by Metrobus, until the City of Falls Church transferred operations to ART. This bus system served as a feeder to Metrorail stations at the east and west ends of the city. The GEORGE service was ultimately suspended in 2010 due to budget constraints.

In 2014, the Alexandria Transit Company's DASH bus began serving this station with the AT9 route (now Line 36A/B), connecting it to the City of Alexandria between Mark Center and Potomac Yard.

On December 29, 2019, Arlington Transit announced that First Transit commenced a five-year contract to operate the network, ending its partnership with National Express Transit which had operated ART since 2009. ART's operator switch went into effect in order to improve service with the on-time performance.

In August 2022, ART began operating event shuttle services for the annual Arlington County Fair. A month later, the agency began testing electric buses, as part of the plan to go carbon-neutral by 2050.

ART launched a microtransit program in April 2026.

Ridership

In 2025, ART carried 2,622,988 riders. As of June 2025, ART carries roughly 9,500 passengers per weekday within Arlington County. Route 41, which runs from Columbia Pike to Rosslyn via Ballston, is ART's busiest route with about 2,200 rides per weekday, with peak head ways of 12 minutes during rush hour. Arlington Transit has nearly returned to pre-pandemic ridership levels; in 2019, ART carried a total 2.9 million passengers and carried 10,600 riders per weekday.

Fares

As of July 2024, ART operates a standard fare system primarily using the WMATA run SmarTrip fare network while still accepting cash payments. Reduced fares are available for senior citizens and other eligible riders. Students using an iRide SmarTrip card ride free, along with children under five years of age when accompanied by a fare paying adult. Employees of Virginia Hospital Center and Arlington County may also ride certain routes at no charge with an eligible ID.

History

In January 2009, ART stopped accepting paper transfers. Riders were required to use a SmarTrip card to get the rail-to-bus discount or to transfer free from bus to bus. Bus-to-bus transfer between ART and Metrobus was made free. Transfers from ART and Metrorail received a $0.50 discount. From September 3, 2013, to April 30, 2023, those attending Arlington Public Schools could obtain an iRide SmarTrip card that provided a discounted fare.

Routes

Fleet

Arlington Transit's fleet of buses comprises 82 clean-burning compressed natural gas and battery electric buses as a part of the Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emission project (AIRE) in order to be environmentally friendly in Arlington County and to achieve carbon neutral emissions in the county by 2050.

Arlington Transit opened a new light maintenance facility on September 26, 2017, which included a bus wash, compressed natural gas refueling, and 25 spaces for buses. Previously, ART had contracted many of these services out to WMATA and faced higher costs and restricted time. On December 10, 2024, ART opened a second larger Operations and Maintenance Facility (AOMF).

Retired fleet

References

External links