DC Improving Transit Equity

In a piece for Greater Greater Washington, Wyatt Gordon highlights the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)’s successes in expanding services to more parts of the District of Columbia as its ridership steadily grows after pandemic-era drops.

“Some of the most significant boosts in transit access have happened in corners of the region that have needed it the most for decades, including Northern Virginia, Montgomery County, and Southeast DC. TransitCenter’s newly updated Transit Equity Dashboard makes it easy to explore the data behind the region’s ridership recovery, whether you are a policymaking professional, enthused advocate, or a data dilettante,” Gordon adds.

The dashboard can help agencies understand transportation needs in the region and how well existing transit is serving riders in various demographic groups. Hayley Richardson, communications director at TransitCenter, said “DC’s growth in access to opportunity via transit surpasses all other cities we looked at. Ridership on WMATA is bounding back faster than at other agencies which is a testament to the fact that when you put out good service, riders will come.” The results also signal the success of a shift to more frequent all-day service that moves away from focusing on 9-to-5 schedules.

However, “Besides a few pockets, nowhere in the region is public transportation truly competitive with cars. Even in much of the District itself, it takes residents three to five times longer to get their groceries via transit than it would take them by car.”