DC Metro Is Betting on Buses

The Washington D.C. transit agency is focusing on buses as it plans a major expansion, reports Rachel Weiner in The Washington Post. Metro’s planned “Better Bus Network,” which launches in June, streamlines the bus system to eliminate some stops and increase service speed. The agency also plans to add hundreds of miles of new dedicated bus lanes and new bus routes over the next two decades.

With federal funding for proposed rail projects in jeopardy, transit leaders are betting on buses as a more affordable way to build a more robust transit network. Today, Metro bus ridership is above pre-pandemic levels, unlike rail ridership. “Bus lanes have the potential to sidestep literal and figurative gridlock, skirting the kinds of costly battles that can derail bigger projects more reliant on federal dollars.”

According to Weiner, “Already, nearly as many people ride Metro buses every day as Metro trains. But these plans aim to double that ridership, bringing in people who have the option to drive.”

However, “Transit experts agree that at a certain distance or population density, buses are no longer effective,” and rail is a key component of a regional transportation network.