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.https://www.arlingtontransit.com/sites/art/assets/June_2025_Service_Effectiveness_Report.pdf (PDF). Retrieved August 26, 2025 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.https://www.arlingtonva.us/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/transportation/documents/transit-advisory-committee/05132025-tac-meeting-art-and-star-updates.pdf (PDF). Retrieved August 26, 2025

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 Route Terminals Major streets Notes41Columbia Pike – Ballston – Court HouseArlington Mill(S Dinwiddie St & Columbia Pike) Court House Columbia Pike Glebe Rd Clarendon Blvd Wilson Blvd A Pike Ride route42Ballston – Pentagon Ballston Pentagon(weekdays) Pentagon City(weekends) Wilson Blvd Washington Blvd S Courthouse Rd Columbia Pike43Court House – Rosslyn – Crystal City Crystal City Court House Richmond Hwy Wilson Blvd Clarendon Blvd Limited stop service Weekday service only45Columbia Pike – Sequoia – RosslynArlington Mill(S Dinwiddie St & Columbia Pike) Rosslyn Columbia Pike S Courthouse Rd N Barton St Clarendon Blvd Wilson Blvd51Ballston – Virginia Hospital Center BallstonLee Heights(N George Mason Dr & Langston Blvd) N George Mason Dr Washington Blvd N Fairfax Dr Service started on July 23, 2001.52Ballston – Virginia Hospital Center – East Falls Church Ballston East Falls Church N Sycamore St Yorktown Blvd N George Mason Dr Washington Blvd55East Falls Church – Langston Blvd – Rosslyn East Falls Church Rosslyn Langston Blvd56Military Rd – RosslynMadison Community Center Rosslyn Military Rd N Quincy St Wilson Blvd Clarendon Blvd N Queen St Weekday peak hour service only72Rock Spring – Ballston – ShirlingtonRock Spring(Williamsburg Blvd & N Glebe Rd)Shirlington N Glebe Rd George Mason Dr S Four Mile Run Dr Weekday service only74Arlington Village – Arlington View – Pentagon City Pentagon CityArlington Village(Walter Reed Dr & Columbia Pike) Walter Reed Dr Columbia Pike S Barton St 16th St S S Queen St A Pike Ride route Peak hour service only 75Shirlington – Wakefield HS – Ballston – Virginia Square Virginia SquareShirlington Wilson Blvd N Kensington St Carlin Springs Rd 7th Rd S S Dinwiddie St A Pike Ride route Weekdays only77Shirlington – Lyon Park – Court House Court HouseShirlington Wilson Blvd Clarendon Blvd Washington Blvd Walter Reed Dr Arlington Mill Dr Monday – Saturday service only84Douglas Park – Green Valley – Pentagon City Pentagon CityDouglas Park(S Monroe St & 18th St S) 19th St S S Nelson St 24th Rd S S Glebe Rd Peak hour service only87Pentagon – Army Navy Dr – Shirlington Pentagon(weekdays) Pentagon City(weekends)Shirlington Army Navy Dr S Glebe Rd Previously ran as 87A/P/X during weekday peak hours

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). Photo Type Delivered Numbers(Total) Notes New FlyerXcelsior XN40 2017–2022 5281–52995400–5419(33 buses) New FlyerXcelsior XN35 2019 5300–5313(14 buses) Gillig Low Floor 35' CNG 2024 5314–5328(15 buses) Gillig Low Floor Plus 35' EV 2025 5329E(1 bus) First Electric Buses for ART Gillig Low Floor Plus 40' EV 2025–2026 5420E–5430E(11 buses)

Retired fleet

Delivered Type Numbers(Total) Retired Photo Notes 2002 Ford/StarTrans BusSenator CNG 5220–5227(7 buses) 2008 Thomas DennisSLF230 5295–5299(4 buses) 2013 2007 NABI35-LFW Gen I CNG 5271–5279(8 buses) 2022–2024 First low-floor buses for Arlington Transit. 2008 NABI35-LFW Gen II CNG 5252–5292(12 buses) 2021–2023 2010–2011 NABI31-LFW Gen II CNG 5060–5079(15 buses) 2022–2024 2011 DesignLine CorporationEcoSaver 5047–5049(3 buses) 2014 CNG-electric hybrid Retired due to safety and reliability concerns. 2011–2013 ARBOCSpirit of Mobility CNG 5083–50885040–5053(14 buses) 2019 First low-floor cutaway buses for Arlington Transit. 2014–2015 NABI40-LFW Gen III CNG 5054–50675092–5099(16 buses) 2025–2026 Final NABI order for Arlington Transit.

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