Commuting Purcellville to DC (arrive @ 10am) (Washington: to live, cost, buses)

[catquas]

This September I will be commuting from Purcellville (Loudon County, VA) to the Farragut/Dupont Circle area of Washington DC. I don't have to arrive until around 10am, however. I would hope to leave Purcellville around 8:30am. What is the best way to do the commute? I have a car, but I am willing to consider other forms of transportation, or a combo.

[saganista]

That's on the order of 55 miles each way. Nightmare to most of us. You could however take I-66 virtually all the way, and at those hours the traffic won't be too awful, and you can drive solo on 66 inside the Beltway after 9:00. But it would be maybe $12-15 in gas per day, and maybe another $20 per day to park. Ouch. There have been commuter buses from Winchester or from Front Royal into DC in the past, but I don't know about now. The option of driving part way and hopping the Metro into town would appear to be out, in that there won't be any parking spaces left by the time you get there, but for an extra $45 per month (on top of $3.75 per day), you could get a guranteed spot permit at Vienna. That's good until 10:00 am, and leaving P'ville at 8:30 you would be there by then. Including a change of trains at Metro Center, the trip from Vienna to Dupont Circle would be about 40 minutes and cost $3.65 each way. With gas to Vienna, that still comes to better than $15 per day in commuting costs, but your employer may participate in Metro's SmartBenefits program. If so, they'd pick up $110 per month for you. Any way you slice it though, this is going to be a pretty tough thing to face each morning and evening...

[vasinger]

Dang, thats a long commute. I used to live out Purcellville way and even at night with hardly any traffic it took nearly an hour to get to DC.

[2royalk9s]

Check out Loudoun Transportation. I used it to commute from Purcellville to Rosslyn before I retired from the Feds. Fee is $7 one way. I purchased the pack of tickets, which are now a SmartPay card costing on $6 one way. I enjoyed the ride because I could catch up on the paper, work eat my breakfast and drink my coffee. On Fridays the bus meister would bring candy. Yum Yum

http://inetdocs.loudoun.gov/transportation/docs/transit_/commuterbusserv_/schedules_/normaloperating_/purcellvilletod-1/purcellvilletod.pdf (broken link)

[vasinger]

Or you could just live in DC

[fosterrc]

A friend of mine took the Loudoun bus. Its nice as long as you don't have an emergency, sickness or have to stay late. Then you're at the mercy of their schedule. Other than that, there's no commuter services for NOVA. (VRE is only in certain areas)