Now that Metro has approved its Fiscal Year 2025 budget, the agency is turning its attention towards its bus network redesign initiative known as Better Bus. Metro recently released its proposed 2025 Bus Network redesign proposal. The proposal includes changes to routes, route names, service frequency, and hours of operation.

Review and provide feedback on the proposed 2025 Network by using Metro’s interactive comment map, taking a survey, submitting written comments, or uploading a document at https://betterbus.wmata.com/share by 5:00 p.m. on July 15, 2024.

Or, provide testimony at an in-person or virtual Public Hearing. To view the full schedule of in-person events, visit https://betterbus.wmata.com/events.

Take a look at Metro’s handy Resource Page, which includes documents that make this gigantic proposal manageable to understand. One thing to keep in mind is that when Metro initially rolled out the Better Bus initiative in spring 2023, it was premised on receiving about 35 percent more funding to create a “better bus” route redesign. Metro is not getting that additional money but wants to proceed with a redesign based on current resources, so you will notice some of the proposed frequency levels are not great.

Proposed Route Name Changes

As part of its network redesign, Metro is proposing new route names. Metro explained that, decades ago, it inherited route names from a bunch of jurisdictions so it is now taking the opportunity to make the routes easier to understand. The proposed naming convention makes enough sense to me. Read the explainer.

• The first character will be one of six letters:
  • “D” or “C” for DC routes.
    • “D” for routes traveling downtown.
    • “C” for crosstown routes.
  • “M” for Montgomery County routes.
  • “P” for Prince George’s County routes.
  • “F” for Fairfax County, Fairfax City, or Falls Church routes.
  • “A” for Arlington County or Alexandria routes.
• The second character will be a number based on the corridor or neighborhood in which the route runs.
• The third character will be another number to distinguish it from other routes in the area, or an “X” to represent a limited-stop route.

Neighborhood Impacts

Neighbor Gavin and I took a quick look at the 2025 Network proposal. In these posts, we described changes Metro contemplated during the initial Better Bus rollout in spring 2023. Some of the routes Metro initially contemplated did not make it into the 2025 Network proposal. Metro created a handy comment/response summary document that provides a bit of the rationale for how it got to the proposal that is now open for public comment.

Let’s take a look at some of the neighborhood routes in the proposed 2025 Network.

Crosswalk: Existing Route –> Approximate Proposed Route

E2 –> C71 Fort Totten – Union Station
E4 –> C81 Sibley Hospital – Fort Totten
E4 –> C83 Friendship Heights – Fort Totten
80 –> D30 Fort Totten – Federal Triangle via North Capitol Street
64 –> D44 Fort Totten – Federal Triangle via 11 Street NW
K6 –> M62 White Oak Medical Center – Fort Totten via New Hampshire Avenue
K6 –> M6X White Oak FDA – Fort Totten
R1, R2 –> P13 White Oak Medical Center – Fort Totten via Riggs Road
E4, F6 –> P32 Fort Totten – College Park
F6 –> P35 Fort Totten – New Carrollton
K2 –> P42 Takoma – New Carrollton

Crosstown Route (Current E4; Proposed C81, C83; Proposed P32)

The one big change we commented on last spring was Metro’s preliminary proposal to cut crosstown service to the neighborhood along Chillum Place NE. One E4 crosstown route operates between Friendship Heights and Fort Totten station and another operates between Friendship Heights and Riggs Park. Last spring, we noted that Metro did not include a comparison crosstown map for the E4 terminating in Riggs Park for comment, and we asked Metro to keep one of the terminal points in Riggs Park, terminating at Eastern Avenue.

Those comments do not show up in the discussion for proposed crosstown routes C81 and C83. Instead, Metro took the comments saying, “Please keep the crosstown route to Riggs Park” and decided to treat those comments as a request for a connection from Fort Totten station to Chillum Place. So, Metro continues to propose shortening the crosstown route so that it ends at Fort Totten station.

And then, Metro is proposing to provide service along Chillum Place via a different route, Proposed Route P32. Metro states Proposed Route P32 will provide more frequent service along Chillum Place because according to Metro, current Route E4 serves Chillum Place every 40 minutes. Transferring from the crosstown bus to Proposed Route P32 at Fort Totten would add time though. Also, it is hard to tell from the map exactly what direction of travel Proposed Route P32 would take through the neighborhood (the arrows look like Metro is proposing to reverse the direction of travel), so it would be good to have clarity from Metro about this. And I kind of think it would be nice to keep a crosstown route as it exists now traveling along Chillum Place to Eastern Avenue.

Map of Route E4

Maps of Proposed Routes C81, C83, and P32

Service Frequencies & Hours of Operation

It seems like service frequencies are not great on many of the proposed routes. I think we need better frequencies for daytime and weekend service if we are really serious about getting people out of private cars and using public transit.

Metro is proposing to continue providing 24-hour service on certain routes such as Proposed Route D30 (equivalent to existing Route 80).

Ward 5 Engagement Forum

Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker is hosting a Ward 5 Bus Network Engagement Meeting with Metro on June 3, 2024, at 6 pm. Register at ward5.us/busmeeting. Councilmember Parker’s feedback to Metro last year did not address issues in this part of the ward so the scorecard that his office prepared for this proposal likewise does not address issues in the neighborhood. But residents should certainly feel free to share comments with his office and that of Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George.