Chapter 1, ACCS Strategic Plan

This text-only version is offered as a more accessible alternative to this PDF document: Arlington County Commuter Services Transportation Demand Management Plan (PDF, 3.85 MB).

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Commuter Assistance Program Overview

Introduction

Arlington County Commuter Services (ACCS) is the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) agency for Arlington County, Virginia. ACCS was established in 1989 for the purpose of making it easier for users of Arlington's transportation network to choose walking, biking, transit, and carpooling/vanpooling to meet their travel needs to, from, and within the County.

While named “Commuter Services,” the ACCS Bureau provides information and services to customers for all trip types via employer and residential outreach efforts, general travel options marketing, commuter information distribution, commuter stores, the internet, advertising, direct mail, and other promotional events. ACCS also works with businesses, property managers, and hotel managers who in turn work with their employees, tenants, and guests to promote sustainable travel modes.

The Arlington Master Transportation Plan's (MTP) Demand and System Management Element, which was adopted in 2008, reinforces the general policy of integrating transportation and land use and focuses on the general policy of managing travel demand and transportation systems.

Program History

From its beginning in 1989 through 2002, ACCS was called the Commuter Assistance Program, and operated within Arlington's Department of Public Works. In 2002, the organization changed its name to Arlington County Commuter Services (ACCS) and was relocated to Arlington's Department of Environmental Services (DES) Transportation Division. This was part of a rebranding effort to reflect a broader scope of services and programming. In 2010, ACCS was made its own Bureau in the Transportation Division, and it currently reports to the County's Assistant Director of Transportation.

ACCS began its programming with the “Transit Store,” which launched in Ballston in 1989 and continues to operate today under the name “The Commuter Store®,” offering transit option information, fare media sales, and customer service to residents, workers, and visitors. There are currently four Commuter Stores along with four Mobile Commuter Stores that serve locations throughout Arlington and Washington, DC. Arlington County's four Commuter Store locations are shown in Figure 1.

During the 1990's, ACCS increased its marketing and communication capabilities, including through the introduction of websites to supplement its retail stores. ACCS played a crucial role in informing the public about Arlington Transit (ART), the County's fixed-route bus system, which was introduced in 1998. Also in 1998, ACCS introduced Arlington Transportation Partners (ATP), a new program for employer and residential sales and services that consolidated and streamlined existing employer services previously offered by smaller transportation management associations. In 1999, ACCS introduced CommuterDirect.com, an online portal for fare media sales and transit benefit services.

Figure 1: Arlington County Commuter Store Locations

In the early- to mid-2000's, ACCS introduced the WalkArlington and BikeArlington initiatives, which offer specific walk and bike programing. These initiatives now fall under the umbrella of Active Transportation in ACCS. ACCS's TDM for Site Development program, which coordinates large development projects with TDM infrastructure and ensures developments comply with TDM requirements, kicked off in 2003. In 2004, Arlington County launched the region's first on- street carsharing program, and ACCS led this initiative as a pilot.

During the mid- to late-2000's, ACCS launched its first research program, began Arlington's Car-Free Diet Program, and installed the County's first real-time transit information display. In 2010, ACCS's research program was transitioned into Mobility Lab, a TDM research repository, convener of thought leaders, laboratory for transit technology, and communications platform for TDM best practices and research. ACCS manages Arlington's portion of Capital Bikeshare, a regional, jurisdiction-owned bikeshare network, which also launched in 2010. In 2015, ACCS launched its Vanpool Connect Initiative, introduced the Arlington Bike Comfort Map, and launched its TDM for Schools Program. ACCS also manages the County's shared micromobility devices permit program, which began as a demonstration program in 2018 and launched permanently in 2019. Today, ACCS continues to develop ever-improving marketing and technology solutions to support TDM services. An overview of ACCS programmatic milestones is shown in Figure 2.

Over the years, the success of ACCS's programs has been recognized in the form of dozens of awards from local, state, and national organizations including the League of American Bicyclists, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the Association for Commuter Transportation, and the American Public Transportation Association.

Figure 2: Arlington County Commuter Service Programmatic Milestones

Governance

ACCS operates as a bureau within Arlington's Transportation Division, which is under the Department of Environmental Services (DES). DES is overseen by Arlington's County Manager, like all other County government departments. The County Manager is appointed by and reports to the Arlington County Board, which has five members elected at-large on staggered four-year terms. The current Board is:

• Libby Garvey, 2024 Chair
• Takis P. Karantonis, 2024 Vice Chair
• Matt de Ferranti, Member
• Maureen Coffey, Member
• Susan Cunningham, Member

  ACCS provides updates and information to three advisory committees and one commission in Arlington County that advise the County government and County Board on issues under their purviews.

• The Bicycle Advisory Committee, which is appointed by the County Manager, has a goal of focusing attention and resources on bicycling in the County. This committee advises the County Manager on bicycle safety and education issues, as well as bicycle facility maintenance, based on the Arlington Master Transportation Plan's Bicycle Element.
• The Transit Advisory Committee, which is appointed by the County Manager, advises the County Manager and staff on the implementation of the Master Transportation Plan's Transit Element, as well as other transit-related issues.
• The Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which is appointed by the County Manager, advises the County Manager on pedestrian issues, including those related to the Master Transportation Plan's Pedestrian Element.
• The Transportation Commission, consisting of County Board-appointed members, advises the County Board on a wide range of transportation issues, including streets, transit, pedestrians, taxis, and bicycles. The Commission monitors Arlington's transportation system as it relates to the Master Transportation Plan.

Organizational Structure

ACCS provides TDM services to Arlington County residents, workers, businesses, and visitors. It does this in a business-to-business capacity through Arlington Transportation Partners (ATP), specifically by working with business managers and property and hotel managers, who in turn work with their employees, guests, residents, and/or commercial tenants to make it easier for them to use transit, biking, walking, or carpool or vanpool for their transportation needs. The businesses ACCS provides these services for serve as intermediaries between ACCS and the traveling public, effectively extending ACCS's outreach beyond its direct contacts.

ACCS also acts in a business-to-consumer capacity by providing information and education directly to Arlington residents, employees, and visitors using county-wide information campaigns, events, retail displays, commuter websites, direct mail, commuter stores, and engagement at bus stops and events throughout the County.

ACCS works internally with Arlington County staff, including those in the Department of Environmental Services (DES); the Department of Community Planning, Housing, and Development (CPHD); and Arlington Economic Development (AED). ACCS works with DES's Transit Bureau to design, maintain, and replace the County's transit physical information, specifically by producing timetables with route maps that are placed at every ART bus stop; installing and replacing damaged insert holders, flag signs, and poles; placing temporary signage at bus stops regarding construction or stop closures; and coordinating with the ART Bus Stop Manager on projects and needed assistance. Additionally, the County's Transportation Division uses ACCS marketing contracts to create schedule timetables, promotional materials, targeted advertising campaigns, social media posts, videos, ART website updates, and planning for and staffing events. A listing and description of the business units ACCS operates is provided in Table 1.

Table 1: ACCS Core Service Area Descriptions

ACCS's organizational structure consists of a Bureau Chief who heads the organization. Reporting to the Bureau Chief are the Marketing Director/Program Manager, the Manager of the TDM for Site Plan and research programs, the Budget and Finance Specialists, and the managers of the two largest long-term contracts under which the ACCS business units operate. Figure 3 illustrates the staffing and reporting relationships.

Staff working in the ACCS Bureau units fall into three categories—full-time Arlington County staff, long-term contractors, and other contractors/subcontractors:

• Full-time Arlington County staff

  ─ ACCS Bureau Chief

  ─ Transportation Research and Site Plan Development Manager

  ─ Marketing Director and Program Manager

  ─ Budget and Finance Specialist

• Long-term contracts

  ─ The Destination Sales & Marketing Group, Ltd. (operators of Arlington Transportation Partners, BikeArlington, WalkArlington, TDM for Site Plan Development, and Mobility Lab)

  • Current contract ends 2026

    ─ The Convention Stores, Inc. (managers of the Commuter Stores, CommuterDirect.com, and Distribution)

  • Current contract ends 2027

    ─ NeoNiche Strategies and Pulsar Advertising (managers of Marketing programs)

  • Current contracts end 2026

• Other long-term contractors and subcontractors

  ─ Redmon Group: Subcontractor to The Convention Stores, provides backend support, functionality, maintenance and security for ACCS websites and installs, and programs and maintains transit screens in locations around Arlington

  • Current contract ends 2027

    ─ LDA Consulting: Subcontractor to The Destination Sales & Marketing Group, collaborates with Mobility Lab on the ACCS Annual Impact Report

  • Current contract ends 2024

    ─ MetroBike LLC: Subcontractor to The Destination Sales & Marketing Group, supports operations of Arlington's portion of Capital Bikeshare

  • Current contract ends 2024

Figure 3: ACCS Organizational Structure

Note: “On hold” positions are positions that ACCS has had recently but are currently vacant with no immediate hiring plans due to budget constraints.

Partnerships

In addition to the advisory bodies described in Section 1.3 Governance, which provide direct input to ACCS's work, ACCS engages in several other partnerships across the Washington, DC region:

• ACCS partners with Commuter Connections, a regional network of transportation demand management organizations convened by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), the Washington, DC region's Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). ACCS staff sit on several of Commuter Connections' working groups.

• ACCS works with regional transit agencies including WMATA, Maryland MTA, and VRE to sell fare media, administer SmartBenefits (WMATA's transit tax benefit program), and provide bus schedules and collateral material for ART.

  Additionally, ACCS staff maintain a variety of professional memberships and committee affiliations, such as with the Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) and the Transportation Research Board (TRB).

Program Service Area

Arlington County, Virginia, is a 26-square-mile jurisdiction located directly across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. It is bordered by Fairfax County to the north and west, the City of Falls Church to the west, and the City of Alexandria to the south. A map of the ACCS service area is provided in Figure 4.

Figure 4: ACCS Service Area of Arlington County, Virginia

Current Services

ACCS services directly influence trips that Arlington residents, employees, and visitors make, both by offering services as well as marketing and promoting transit, walking, biking, and carpool/vanpool options not directly administered by ACCS.

Additionally, Mobility Lab, ACCS's research and communications initiative, studies people's use of and satisfaction with Arlington's various transportation options, as well as TDM best practices. This research in turn influences the programs that ACCS offers.

The following is a review of the services directly offered by ACCS.

EMPLOYER OUTREACH

Arlington Transportation Partners (ATP), a group within ACCS, offers the following services to employers.

Transit Benefits Assistance

ATP provides transit benefit assistance to employers, helping them decide which tax-free transit benefits are right for them, as well as assisting with the implementation process including program creation and open enrollment.

Champions

This program recognizes and rewards businesses, residential communities, commercial properties, and schools for implementing transportation programs. The program is designed to help participating companies or properties attract/retain employees, residents, tenants, or visitors, measure progress toward sustainability goals, demonstrate community involvement and corporate social responsibility, and enhance amenity and benefit offerings for employees or customers. ATP supports participating companies or properties through access to resources to enhance programs, invitations to exclusive events, recognition by County officials, national award opportunities (such as Best Workplaces for Commuters), and features in publications, on websites, or in ads featured on public transportation. The Champions program allows participants to participate at different levels, where bronze, silver, gold, and platinum level partners providing an increasing number of offerings to their constituents.

Employee Transportation Survey

This is a comprehensive survey for employers to administer to help them understand employees' commuting patterns and needs. This survey helps ATP to recommend appropriate programs and information to individual employers.

Customized Services

This program provides customized marketing materials for companies and office locations, including newsletters, commute planners, quick glance sheets, posters, and resource guides.

Transportation Events

ATP sponsors seminars, brown bag lunches, and workshops to provide commuting options and benefit information to companies and employees. ATP also holds networking events for clients and prospects to share best practices.

Transportation Brochures

This service provides free brochures about Metrorail, Metrobus, ART, and other sustainable transportation options to employers.

Capital Bikeshare

ATP educates employers about Capital Bikeshare's corporate membership and assists them with enrollment and renewal. ATP also shares station adoption and sponsorship opportunities.

Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) Recognition Assistance

This program helps companies that have implemented bicycle promotion efforts to submit applications and receive recognition for their programs.

Best Workplace for Commuters (Center for Urban Transportation – USF)

This program helps companies submit applications and receive recognition for programs that promote sustainable transportation options at their employment sites.

Office Relocation Services

ATP assists companies considering moving to Arlington by analyzing their relocation needs and making recommendations for addressing the commuting impact on employees. ATP also acts as a resource for Arlington Economic Development (AED) during a business's entry into or relocation to Arlington.

Hotel Services

ATP provides Arlington hotels with materials and information for staff to assist guests with local transportation options.

Telework

ATP provides information and support to employers interested in a telework program, including explaining implementation choices and helping clients design an appropriate telework policy. ATP also provides workshops and seminars to explain telework to managers and staff and acts as a liaison to teleworking resources.

School Pool

ATP coordinates a TDM for Schools program geared toward Arlington Public Schools teachers and staff. Through this program, ATP identifies mode shift goals for individual schools, focusing on promoting sustainable transportation modes in areas not served by fixed-route transit.

RESIDENTIAL OUTREACH

ATP provides residential properties with location-specific marketing materials including commute planners, quick glance sheets, posters, and resource guides. ATP also provides manager and concierge training, residential building events and promotions, exclusive Capital Bikeshare membership opportunities, and transportation brochures. ATP also conducts Residential Transportation Surveys.

Additionally, BikeArlington and WalkArlington engage directly with residents, such as through teaching bike safety courses and leading neighborhood walks. Car-Free Diet team members also attend community events to provide residents with transportation option information.

Finally, Mobility Lab provides survey information, data analysis, and current transit and transit technology news to residents.

MARKETING AND PROMOTION

ACCS provides ongoing marketing in support of Metrorail, Metrobus, ART, Capital Bikeshare, Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH), and carsharing services in Arlington, as well as for other trip planning and TDM programs, as outlined below.

Car-Free Diet

Car-Free Diet has a website that includes a tool to calculate potential money saved, calories burned, and CO2 emissions reduced through traveling via modes other than single occupancy vehicles. The Car-Free program also promotes online tools that allow travelers to plug in their current location to see the range of transit options available or plan a multimodal trip. Car-Free Diet conducts marketing through brochures, direct mail, websites, web ads, print ads, videos, events, and via social media. Car-Free Diet retail partners help promote the Car- Free Diet with brochure racks in their establishments.

Street Team

The Car-Free Diet Street Team consists of bilingual (Spanish and English) contracted staff who regularly attend community events. The Street Team also organizes its own outreach events and partnerships with retail locations.

The Commuter Store®

ACCS's Commuter Stores and Mobile Commuter Stores provide fare media sales for WMATA, VRE, MARC, MTA Commuter Bus, Capital Bikeshare, EZ Pass, iRide Student SmarTrip cards, and STAR (Specialized Transit for Arlington Residents) coupon booklets. The stores also provide printed bus schedules and customer assistance with travel planning. The Commuter Stores maintain agreements with each transit operator in the region, reconciling sales made by the end of each calendar month and reimbursing operators for sales made by the end of the following month. The Commuter Stores provide valuable services—often to lower-income populations, minorities, people whose second language is English, older adults, and students— significantly advancing ACCS's goal of making it easier for Arlington residents, visitors, and employees to choose walking, biking, transit, and carpool or vanpool to meet their travel needs.

Commuter Direct®

CommuterDirect.com offers online fare media sales for WMATA, VRE, MARC, and MTA Commuter Bus for online or mail delivery, as well as the ability to redeem transit benefits for the purchase of transit tickets.

Commuter Information Center

The Commuter Information Center manages the operation of the 703.228.RIDE Arlington Transit (ART) call center, responds to email inquiries for ART and Commuter Stores, and fulfills CommuterDirect.com pass sales orders.

TDM for Site Plan Development

This program coordinates the design and implementation of large development projects with TDM infrastructure and services for residents, workers, and visitors. The program works directly with developers and property managers to increase the availability, awareness, and use of sustainable modes of travel to offset the transportation impacts of development, (e.g., bike parking, showers, lockers, and information displays). Through this program, ACCS monitors developments' implementation of their TDM programs to ensure they meet commitments.

Transit Promotion

ACCS encourages the use of transit and supports Arlington's Transit Bureau by designing, updating, and printing all schedule brochures, managing the ART website and social media, and placing and maintaining all ART transit signage in Arlington. ACCS also promotes new routes, service changes, and the iRide Student SmarTrip card (free ART bus rides for Arlington elementary, middle, and high school students).

SUPPORT PROGRAMS

In addition to employer services, residential services, and marketing, ATP offers support for other programs as well.

Mobility Lab

Mobility Lab measures and monitors the effectiveness of Arlington's TDM programs and collaborates with other researchers and practitioners to communicate TDM best practices. Mobility Lab also produces the Household Travel Survey, Arlington Resident Travel Survey, and a report summarizing Arlington County-related findings from an oversample of the MWCOG State of the Commute Survey that reports on travel behavior, commuting patterns, and opinions around travel in Arlington. Mobility Lab also fills a general support role for ATP's other efforts.

Bikeshare

ACCS staff oversee the County's contract with the Capital Bikeshare vendor (Lyft), participate in regional bikeshare stakeholder groups, and assist with planning and managing the operation of Arlington's portion of Capital Bikeshare. ACCS also works with other local agencies to determine Capital Bikeshare's short- and long-term growth plans and works to secure Capital Bikeshare corporate memberships and opportunities for station adoption and sponsorship.

BikeArlington and WalkArlington

BikeArlington and WalkArlington provide education and encouragement to increase the number of people biking and walking by organizing promotional events, providing safety trainings and education, disseminating information through print and digital channels, engaging on social media, and public speaking.

Trip Planning

ACCS has played a crucial role in the development of several TDM and trip planning technology tools, including the Car-Free Near Me tool, which allows users to plug in their location information to see nearby transit options available.1 ACCS also works to provide and promote real-time transportation information displays, specifically TransitScreen®, at office buildings, multifamily residential buildings, community centers, libraries, schools, and retail locations. The displays show nearby real-time bus, Metro, and Capital Bikeshare options.

¹ Source: https://www.carfreenearme.com/

This text-only version is offered as a more accessible alternative to this PDF document: Arlington County Commuter Services Transportation Demand Management Plan (PDF, 3.85 MB).

Text-Only Table of Contents