CAP Fiscal Year 2002 Annual Report
July 1, 2001 Through June 30, 2002

Moving into the year 2002, Arlington County’s Commuter Assistance Program continues its strong reputation as one of the most successful and innovative TDM (transportation demand management) programs in the country. As CAP looks ahead to 2003 and beyond, it is important to once again review the recent past and monitor progress so that adjustments can be made to maximize its usefulness to commuters. The following tracks performance of the Commuter Assistance Program for the completed Fiscal Year 2002.

The Commuter Stores™ and CommuterPage.com®/CommuterDirect.com™

Record Fare Sales. The Arlington County Commuter Stores continue to record very high sales figures. For the fourth straight year we have set new sales records, with FY2002 sales of $7,111,690 in tickets, tokens and passes sold. This is an increase of 24% from the $5,736,865 sold in FY2001, a 66% increase versus the $4,287,204 sold in FY2000 and an astounding 97% more than the $3,605,769 in fare sales from FY1999. The Commuter Store at Crystal City accounted for 48% of those total sales or $3,419,610, Commuter Direct.com 25% or $1,796,935, The Commuter Store at Rosslyn 16% or $1,121,449 and The Commuter Store at Ballston 10% or $746,584.

Of the three locations which sold over one million dollars worth of fare media, CommuterDirect.com had the biggest jump by increasing its FY2001 sales of $1,183,841 by 52%. The internet-based sales service handled $1,796,935 worth of sales, second only to the Crystal City location which sold $3,419,610 in FY2002, an increase of 22% over its $2,798,111 in FY2001. The other two locations which started off FY2002, Ballston and Rosslyn, also increased sales from FY2001 by 2% and 9% respectively.

Retail and Internet Customers. Overall, the number of customers visiting The Commuter Stores and online at CommuterDirect.com increased by 7% with 140,626 in FY2002 compared to 131,174 in FY2001. Looking at the number of customers at each location, Crystal City serviced 58,635 customers for a 41% share, Rosslyn serviced 44,103 customers for a 31% share, Ballston serviced 18,358 customers for a 13% share and CommuterDirect.com serviced 17,528 customers for a 12% share.

The number of visitors to CommuterPage.com® continues to grow as the region’s one-stop-shop for commuting news and information. In FY2001, between 26,000 and 52,000 “visitor sessions” were recorded at CommuterPage.com; however in FY2002 that number grew to between 39,000 and 72,000 “visitor sessions,” nearly a 43% increase. CommuterPage.com® closed the fiscal year of 2002 on a very positive note, averaging over 63,000 “visitor sessions” in the final quarter of the year (from March 2002 – June 2002)!

Growth, Growth, Growth. With the large volume of sales and busy operations at The Commuter Stores in Crystal City, Rosslyn and Ballston, an opportunity to expand existed. This opportunity was seized and a fourth location began operations in December 2001. The Commuter Store at Columbia Pike is the smallest of The Commuter Stores, yet served 1906 customers and accounted for $25,865 in fare media sales in its first seven months. This store is not located near a Metrorail station, but is flanked by two Metrobus lines, allowing another option for the varied customer base in Arlington.

In addition to growth by The Commuter Stores, CommuterDirect.com also experienced growth this past year in adding CommuterDirect.com Corporate Services to their list of offerings. Working with Arlington Transportation Partners, CommuterDirect.com Corporate Services launched in August 2001 with a focus on employers who wished to offer transportation benefits directly to their employees. CommuterDirect.com Corporate Services did $547,951 in sales or 30% of CommuterDirect.com's total sales for FY2002. A FAQ regarding CommuterDirect.com Corporate Services can be found at http://www.commuterpage.com/corporate/help_ref.htm.

Not only did the existing structures grow this past year, but in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, two Mobile Commuter Stores launched on April 2, 2002. These Mobile Commuter Stores use The Commuter Stores as their basis, but offer transit information and fare media for all the jurisdictions of Northern Virginia. The Mobile Commuter Stores rely on the same customer service standards as in The Commuter Stores while offering new features such as User Stations for customer access to CommuterPage.com® or any adjoining website, a 42 inch plasma screen for marketing information and the ultimate in convenience by coming directly to a place of business. As part of the Virginia governor's Transportation Initiative, the Mobile Commuter Stores also act as rolling transit meeting locations, where local jurisdictions can hold training sessions on transit or employers can learn more about transportation benefits. More on the Mobile Commuter Store can be found at http://www.commuterpage.com/mobilestore.htm.

Continuing Service. During this past year, we have celebrated our continued service to Arlington and the Washington Metropolitan Region as well as beginning new operations and offerings to advance out service commitment well into the future. The 10th anniversary of The Commuter Store at Crystal City was celebrated on May 22, 2002 with memories shared and discussion of renovation of the location in FY2003. The Commuter Information Center, which houses CommuterDirect.com and the call center for 228-RIDE, moved offices in January 2002, cohabitating with Arlington Transportation Partners in an effort to create a seamless flow for every aspect of Arlington’s Commuter Assistance Program. More changes are coming in FY2003, and with the constant commitment to servicing our customers’ needs, The Commuter Stores and CommuterPage.com/CommuterDirect.com look to continue to grow.

Arlington Transportation Partners’ Employer Services

Arlington Transportation Partners employer services program grew from 127 “member” companies in 1998, to 239 companies in 1999, 290 companies in 2000, and 344 in 2001. At the end of FY 2002 this number reached an unprecedented high of 402 companies representing 113,557 employees throughout Arlington and Washington, D.C.

ATP’s employers are classified by levels that correspond to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Commuter Connections’ Employer Services criteria (Level-1 – meeting with a company; Level-2 – buy in, information distribution; Level-3 – Metrochek and other high level programs such as an ETC; Level-4 – shuttle and other capital expenses and more.) The ATP’s adopted employer classification of the COG model is as follows:

• Level 1 (Bronze) Employers express some interest in commuter programs and distribute information to their employees
• Level 2 (Silver) Employers actually market commuter benefits to employees
• Level 3 (Gold) Employers offer incentives for Commuter Programs, such as Metrochek
• Level 4 (Platinum) Employers offer more than one Level 3 program

Based upon these Levels, thirty-four percent (34%) of the 402 ATP network employers are classified as participating at Level-1, eight percent (8%) at Level-2, forty-six percent (46%) at Level-3 and twelve percent (12%) at Level-4.

Other Highlights

• Approximately 253 of our 402 employer participants, or 63%, provided a transit benefit for their employees.
• ATP has elevated four Arlington employers into the U.S. EPA Sponsored National Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative.
• In the spring of 2002, ATP launched My Rewards, an online incentive tool rewarding employee transportation coordinators.
• ATP currently is servicing 31 CommuterDirect.com Corporate Services accounts. CommuterDirect.com Corporate Services provides hassle-free online management of an employer’s transit benefits program.

The ATP network continues to experience steady growth in providing employers with unique on-site TDM programs.