Metrobus overhaul will eliminate routes and bus stops
The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority has begun rolling out a draft of Better Bus, a total redesign of the Metrobus system.
The new system will consolidate routes and bus stops, while increasing evening and weekend service. Better Bus is aimed at speeding up bus trips, better serving communities and the needs of essential workers, and improving connections with other bus systems, such as Fairfax Connector.
According to Metro, a long-overdue overhaul is needed to better align bus service with changes in where and when people want to travel.
Metro presented a draft “visionary network” to the public and stakeholders last spring and considered feedback from that effort in drafting the Better Bus plan.
The proposed bus network redesign will be presented to the WMATA Board of Directors this fall. Metro will begin implementing the network in summer 2025.
Metrobus currently has about 200 routes in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. Under the Better Bus plan, there would be 123 routes with improved service.
More than 146,000 customers would gain access to more frequent evening bus service seven days a week. Thousands more would have improved bus service on weekends.
Bus stops that are too close together cause lower speeds and increased wait times, Metro says. As a result, approximately 650 bus stops will be eliminated, consisting of about 7 percent of Metrobus stops in the region.
Stops that are close together – within 600 feet – with low ridership or without safe pedestrian access were considered for consolidation.
The following bus stops in the Annandale/Mason District area are targeted for elimination:
- Little River Turnpike and Old Columbia Pike
- Little River Turnpike and High Place
- Little River Turnpike and John Marr Drive
- Little River Turnpike and Wedgewood Drive
- Little River Turnpike and Pineland Street
- Columbia Pike and Bennett Drive
- Columbia Pike and Oak Hill Drive
- Columbia Pike and Oxford Street
- Columbia Pike and Barcroft View Terrace
- Jefferson Street and Leesburg Pike
- Carlin Springs Road
- Vista Drive
- Leesburg Pike and Charles Street
- Leesburg Pike and Glen Carlyn Drive
- Leesburg Pike and Peace Valley Lane
- Patrick Henry Drive and Willston Drive
- Willston Drive and Peyton Randolph Drive
- Wilson Boulevard and Manchester Street
- Fairview Park Drive
Bus routes will be renamed. All route numbers will have three characters, beginning with the letter of the location, followed by two numbers. For example, “A” indicates routes in Arlington and Alexandria, and “F” is used for routes in Fairfax County, Fairfax City, and Falls Church.
Learn more about Better Bus at a pop-up event June 6, 3-7 p.m., at the Seven Corners Transit Center on Arlington Boulevard at the Seven Corners Shopping Center.
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