Metrobus is a bus service operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Its fleet consists of 1,595 buses covering an area of 1,500 square miles (3,900Â km2) in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. There are 269 bus routes serving 11,129 stops, including 2,554 bus shelters. In 2016, Metrobus provided approximately 123.6 million trips. On a typical weekday in June 2017, it provides more than 390,000 trips.
Fares
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As of June 25, 2017, the Metrobus fare structure is as follows:
- Local bus within the District of Columbia, Central Maryland and Northern Virginia, (except as noted below): $2.00 (using cash & SmarTrip)
- Express bus: $4.25 (using cash & SmarTrip)
- Express Airport buses 5A and B30: $7.50
Discounts may be available for senior citizens, people with disabilities and DC students.(*must have valid ID)
Up to two children, per paying adult, under 5 years of age ride for free. Children at least 5 years of age pay adult fare.
Express routes: 11Y, 17B, 17G, 17H, 17K, 17L, 17M, 18G, 18H, 18P and 29W.
Transfers and passes
All Metrobuses have SmarTrip card readers which automatically deduct the correct fare from a rider's SmarTrip card (including transfer credit). Formerly, Metrobus issued paper transfers which gave the rider free transfers to any regular bus for two hours. Effective January 4, 2009, bus and rail riders must use a SmarTrip card to receive the automatic rail-to-bus transfer credit. If a bus rider pays with cash, they must pay full fare again when transferring to another bus. Bus-to-bus free transfer time for regular buses was also increased to three hours on this date. Transfer is allowed to other Metrobus routes or routes of other regional operators, but Express routes have different requirements. On June 27, 2010, the transfer window was reduced from 3 hours to 2 hours.
NOTES:
- Local Buses: Metrobus local routes, Ride-On (except route 70), The Bus (Prince George's County), DC Circulator, Fairfax Connector (except Routes 380, 595 and 597), Connect-A-Ride, Fairfax CUE, DASH and Arlington Transit.
- Express Buses: Metrobus express routes, PRTC OmniRide, PRTC MetroDirect, Ride-On route 70, Fairfax Connector routes 380, 595 and 597.
Current Active fleet
Metro has currently awarded a five-year contract with NABI (now New Flyer) for the procurement of up to 654 new buses. The first batch of 85 NABI diesel-electric hybrid 42-foot buses is already on order, with delivery expected within a year. The new buses will replace some of Metro’s older Orion V buses, which were delivered in 1997 and 2000. Going forward, the contract gives Metro the option to order up to 498 additional 42-foot buses and up to 71 60-foot buses over the five-year period. Red/Silver painted buses will be used on local routes and Blue/Silver buses will be used on limited stop routes. These buses will have either "Local" or "MetroExtra" on the top of each side of the bus for easy identification. The numbering represents its region of operation. To differ the regions numbering system, most Maryland letters is "prefix" to the route number and Virginia letters is "suffix" to the "number" of the route. For example: C22 (Maryland) and 15L (Virginia). WMATA is adding a total of 533 hybrid buses to replace its diesel bus fleet. Each new "New Flyer Xcelsior XDE40" bus costs $571,737 and is expected to break down less frequently as well as offer greater fuel economy. With the latest purchase of 152 hybrid buses for $89.3 million from New Flyer of America, WMATA's Metrobus fleet will consist of 297 diesel buses, 800 hybrid buses and 458 natural gas fueled buses.
Future fleet
- Note: In 2015, the rest of the NABI BRT order was converted to the New Flyer Xcelsior order, due to New Flyer discontinuing production of its NABI-branded buses.
- On July 4th, 2018 WMATA was awarded a 5 year contract from New Flyer for up to 694 buses, order consist of forty-foot CNG, forty-foot clean diesel, sixty-foot CNG, and sixty-foot diesel heavy-duty transit buses.
Retired fleet
- 1974-1975 AM General Metropolitans #7000-7619 (Retired in the Early 1990s)
- 1983 M.A.N Articulated Buses #5101-5133 (Retired in 1995)
- 1983-1984 Neoplan USA AN440A #9500-9576 (Retired in 1995)
- 1976-1978 Flxible New Looks #8000-8661 (Retired in 2001)
- 1988 Gillig Corporation|Gillig Phantoms #5080-5099 (Retired in 2001)
- 1959-1974 GMC Fishbowls (#1000-6724.1400 and 1461 are preserved at Landover Division, 6481 is at the Sea Shore Trolley Museum; Retired in 2000)
- 1953 GMC Old Looks (#1912 Preserved at Landover Division; retired in 1988)
- 1979 GMC RTS II #9001-9111, 9113-9115. 9112 is preserved and used for rodeo touring purposes at Landover. (Retired in 2001)
- 1986-1987 Flxible Metro A #8700-8799, 8950-8975 (without wheelchair lifts), 8800-8922 (with wheelchair lifts) (Retired in 2005-2006)
- 1988 Flxible Metro B #9201-9239 (with wheelchair lifts), 9251-9289 (without wheelchair lifts) (Retired in 2005-2006)
- 1989 Flxible Metro B #5151-5185 (30 ft) (Retired in 2006)
- 1990 Flxible Metro B #9301-9413 (40 ft with wheelchair lifts) (Retired in 2010-2011)
- 1990 Flxible Metro B #9421-9463 (40 ft without wheelchair lifts) (Retired in 2006-2007)
- 1991 Flxible Metro B #9480-9498 (35 ft) (Retired in 2009)
- 1992 Orion V #9601-9660 (Retired in 2008)
- 1993 Flxible Metro D #9701-9703, 9701-9785 (Retired in 2009)
- 1994 Flxible Metro D #9801-9835 (Retired in 2010)
- 1995 Flxible Metro E #4001-4104 (Retired in 2010)
- 1999 Orion V 30 ft #3900-3950 (Retired in 2013)
- 2000 Orion VI #2000-2099 (Retired in 2012)
- 1999-2000 Orion II #3701-3742 (Retired in 2009)
- 1995 Nabi American Ikarus Articulated Buses #5201-5245 (Retired in 2008)
- 2002-2003 Neoplan USA AN460A #5301-5321 (Retired 2015-2016)
- 1997-1998 Orion V #4200-4412 (Retired 2014-2016) (4271 was repainted into the Metro 4th Generation paint scheme, similar to the Neoplan 4th generation paint scheme style, only used for rodeo purposes at Landover division; 4408 & 4412 are being used as training vehicles.)
- 2001-2002 New Flyer C40LF #2300-2464 (Retired in November 2016)
- 2000 Orion V #2100-2231 (only 2105, 2114-2115, and 2119 are still active and used as backups for WMATA during rush hour, or shortages of hybrid buses; all other units retired 2016-2018).
Divisions
There are 9 divisions (a.k.a. Depots, garages, yards or lots) in the Metrobus system. Two of them are open on weekdays only and two are being planned to open soon.
Richmond Highway Express
Richmond Highway Express a.k.a. "REX", is a Limited-Stop bus line that operates between King Street â€" Old Town station and Fort Belvoir along the Richmond Highway corridor in Fairfax County, Virginia. The current "REX" fleet consists of twelve 2010 New Flyer DE40LFA diesel-electric hybrid buses (6550-6561) painted in a blue-and-gold paint scheme, all of which operate out of the Shepherd Parkway division (as of June 2018, they are being replaced by the older 2009 DE40LFA units, due to the 2010 units being rehabilitated). REX began service on September 26, 2004, replacing parts of the now-former route 9A (which operated between Huntington station and Pentagon until it was eliminated June 26, 2016). The original REX bus fleet consisted of twelve now-retired 2000 Orion 06.501 (VI) buses wrapped (but not painted) in blue-and-gold paint scheme before the aforementioned Orion 07.501 CNG buses arrived in 2006. The previous "REX" fleet consisted of 12 2006 Orion 07.501 (VII) CNG buses (2674-2685) painted in the blue-and-gold paint scheme, until they were all repainted between June and August 2014.
MetroExtra
MetroExtra is a Limited-Stop Metrobus service, which operates on Metrobus lines that need extra service and faster service. MetroExtra started service on March 19, 2007 with the 79 that operates from Silver Spring station to Archives station, operating on the 7th Street/Georgia Avenue (DC) corridor. The MetroExtra fleet consists of 16 2007 New Flyer C40LFR CNG buses (2801-2816), 15 2011 New Flyer Xcelsior XDE40 diesel-electric hybrid buses (7086-7100), 49 2009 New Flyer DE40LFA diesel-electric hybrid buses (6413-6461), 11 2010 New Flyer DE40LFA buses (6462-6472), 32 2005-2006 Orion VII CNG buses (2528, 2563, 2603, 2616, 2626-2629, 2636, 2640-2641, 2643-2644, 2646-2647, 2650-2651, 2655, 2663, 2665, 2668, 2670-2671 and 2677-2685) and 1 2006 New Flyer DE40LFR diesel-electric hybrid bus (6040). MetroExtra buses are painted in the silver and blue scheme. MetroExtra operates 11 bus routes: 16Y, 37, 39, 59, 79, A9, G9, J4, K9, S9 and X9. MetroExtra costs the same fare as Metrobus $2.00 (using cash & SmarTrip). MetroExtra operates from Bladensburg, Montgomery, Northern, Four Mile Run and Shepherd Parkway Divisions.
Metroway
Metroway is a bus rapid transit (BRT) service that began on August 24, 2014. The first phase is the Crystal City/Potomac Yard Transitway, which operates on Route 1 in Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia. It is a 5-mile corridor with 33 platforms and 20 station located between Pentagon City and Braddock Road. The first 0.8 mile segment in Alexandria runs on a transit lane only. The Arlington County segment began construction in the summer of 2014 and opened April 17, 2016. Metroway originally operated between Braddock Road Station and Crystal City and was expanded to Pentagon City in April 2016. Thirteen 2016 New Flyer Xcelsior XN40 CNG buses (2981-2993) operate with the blue-and-white Metroway livery. The original Metroway fleet consisted of thirteen 2014 NABI 42 BRT diesel-electric hybrid buses (8002-8014) until they were all repainted in December 2016. The Metroway service, which is operated by Metrobus' Four Mile Run bus division, features dedicated bus lanes, transit signal priority, real-time information, custom designed shelters and stations, as well as near-level boarding at station platforms. A Metroway fare costs the same as Metrobus, which is $2.00 (using cash & SmarTrip).
See also
- List of Metrobus routes (Washington, D.C.)
- Metro Transit Police Department
References
