photo by Randy Clarke
WMATA GM Randy Clarke shares: “Excited to show @wmata newest member of the fleet. Besides this 60ft being quieter & better for the [world] it also has new customer centric features: new readers for all door boarding, seat charging & digital information screens. (more…)
via WMATA
From WMATA:
“The future is looking clearer for Metrobus, as Metro and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announce the start of the 45-day minimum warning period for the Clear Lanes program. The goal is to improve bus speeds and reliability. Parked cars and vehicles illegally using dedicated bus lanes and bus stop zones slow buses down and impedes customer safety.
Under the program, cameras mounted on Metrobuses will capture video and photos of vehicles illegally operating, parking, standing, or stopping in dedicated bus lanes and bus zones. All enforcement will be handled by DDOT. Metro will not have any role in ticketing and enforcement. (more…)
From WMATA:
“Metrobus customers who travel at night will have the option to get off between bus stops along the route, closer to their destination to provide a safer, better bus experience. These “courtesy stops” put customer safety first during times of day when it is darkest outside. (more…)
From WMATA:
“Metro today detailed its future financial planning to address structural funding issues that will leave a projected $750 million shortfall in the fiscal year 2025 budget when federal covid relief funding runs out. Without an increase in funding, Metro would be forced to make drastic cuts to rail, bus, and paratransit services across the region.
The long-term financial issues facing Metro, come amid improving service, investments in modernization, and growing ridership. As of May, weekday ridership on Metrorail and Metrobus is at 50 percent and 88 percent of pre-pandemic levels, respectively, with ridership as high as 800,000 trips or more combined on bus and rail. (more…)
From DDOT:
“The Clear Lanes Project is a joint initiative between Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) and DDOT that aims to improve bus travel times and enhance bus stop safety by using camera technology to identify illegally parked and stopped vehicles in dedicated bus lanes and bus zones.
Program Details:
Metro will mount automated cameras on buses serving select routes in DC. These cameras automatically take photos of violating vehicles and send information directly to DDOT for enforcement. Metro anticipates that the Clear Lanes project will be ready to roll out in Fall 2023, with a 45-day warning period beginning July 24, 2023.
Fines: (more…)
From WMATA:
“Over the bridge and through the tunnel, trains on the Yellow Line are ready to go. Starting Sunday, May 7, Yellow Line service will resume across the Potomac River, following an eight-month, on-time and anticipated to be under budget rehabilitation project to repair the deteriorating 1970’s tunnel and bridge.
The reopening, announced last month, will provide a faster, more direct connection for customers between Virginia and downtown DC, including travel to/from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Yellow Line trains will initially operate every eight minutes weekdays from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. for the first month between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square, and every 12 minutes all other times and on weekends, a 60 percent increase in train service than before the closure last fall. In June service will improve to eight minutes all day, seven days a week.”
photo by nevermindtheend
From the office of Councilmember Charles Allen:
“The following is a statement from Councilmember Charles Allen on WMATA’s Letter Delaying Fare Free Buses One Year:
“I’m frustrated with WMATA, but bold ideas sometimes take time. A one-year delay isn’t the end of the world, but I do hold some skepticism about Maryland and Virginia’s genuine interest in fare-free buses. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
Has anyone else been noticing the bus operator availability for a lot of routes recently? It’s quite frustrating since a lot of the common commuter routes has implemented “increased rides” during peak hours, but now (more…)
From WMATA:
“Metro will add automated cameras to buses to keep unauthorized vehicles out of bus-only lanes and bus stop zones under an agreement with the District of Columbia and recommended for approval by the Metro Board of Directors Finance Committee today. The new initiative, called Clear Lanes, is modeled after similar programs, including San Francisco and New York City, and will be the first to use automated camera technology to enforce bus stop zones in addition to bus-only lanes. (more…)
From WMATA:
“During the weekend of March 18 – 19, Metro is advising customers of track work on the Red Line affecting two stations and widespread street closures in downtown DC resulting in detours to 24 Metrobus routes and restricting MetroAccess service in the area.
On the Red Line, train service will be shut down for the weekend between Rhode Island Ave and NoMa stations as part of system modernization and to upgrade infrastructure, including installation of new fiber-optic and radio cables for signal systems and emergency communications. (more…)
photo by angela n.
From WMATA:
“Metro’s youngest customers and those traveling with them now have one less barrier to a stress-free ride on Metrobus. Metro today announced that effective immediately, open strollers are welcome on Metrobus, replacing a policy that required strollers to be folded before boarding. (more…)