Transit

From Uber’s website – Washington, Help Us Inaugurate UberTAXI:

There’s nothing more American than the freedom to choose—so it’s fitting that Uber is bringing our nation’s capital yet another choice when it comes to getting a reliable ride. Starting today, you’ll be able to use UberTAXI to request a DC cab right alongside our existing sedan and SUV service.

Just like with our black car service, open up your Uber app and you can easily request a DC taxi, pay with your credit card, and do it all with just the tap of a button. In a nutshell, UberTAXI offers the reliability and convenience you expect from Uber at a lower cost, so you can pick exactly what kind of ride you need, whenever you need it.

Thanks to the pro-innovation, pro-consumer legislation passed last month by the DC Council, we know that Uber is here to stay, which is why we are rolling out new transportation options like UberTAXI. But make no mistake: it’s still an experiment, and we will continue to improve on UberTAXI as more people use it.

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Photo by PoPville flickr user MARSHALL on H

From WMATA:

The ongoing effort to rebuild and upgrade the Metrorail system will continue over the weekend of January 11-13, 2013, on the Red, Blue and Green lines. The work will begin at 10 p.m. Friday and continue through system closing on Sunday.

There is no work scheduled this weekend on the Orange or Yellow lines.

Red Line

Red Line trains will single track between through two work zones:

Between Friendship Heights and Van Ness to allow for track improvements, and fastener and insulator renewal.
Between Rhode Island Avenue and Fort Totten to allow for installation of cable and signal components, as well as track maintenance.

Throughout the weekend, trains between Shady Grove and Glenmont will operate every 24 minutes. Between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, additional trains will operate between Van Ness and NoMa-Gallaudet, resulting in service an average of every 12 minutes between those stations. Customers traveling through either work zone should allow 15 minutes of additional travel time.

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Photo by PoPville flickr user DC@rt

From WMATA:

Metro will advance efforts to rebuild and upgrade the rail system over the weekend of January 4-6, 2013, on the Red and Orange lines. The work will begin at 10 p.m. Friday and continue through system closing on Sunday.

There is no work scheduled this weekend on the Blue, Yellow or Green lines.

Red Line trains will single track between through two work zones:
• Between Shady Grove and Twinbrook to allow for platform improvements.
• Between Judiciary Square and Rhode Island Avenue to allow for installation of cable and signal components.

Throughout the weekend, trains between Shady Grove and Glenmont will operate every 24 minutes. Between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, additional trains will operate between Grosvenor and Judiciary Square, resulting in service an average of every 12 minutes between these stations. Customers traveling through either work zone should allow 15 minutes of additional travel time.

On the Orange Line, buses will replace trains between Vienna and East Falls Church to allow for signal system integration with the new Silver Line extension. Orange Line trains will operate normally–at regular weekend intervals–between East Falls Church and New Carrollton.

Shuttle bus service between Vienna and East Falls Church will operate on two routes:
• Express buses will run between Vienna and East Falls Church only. Customers should add 15 minutes of additional travel time.
• Local buses will run between Vienna and East Falls Church with intermediate stops at Dunn Loring and West Falls Church. Customers should add 15 minutes of travel time for each stop. (For example, a customer traveling from Dunn Loring to East Falls Church should allow 30 minutes for two stops.)

Their website says:

“car2go is everywhere in the district with 300 vehicles, which are always ready to go, for as long and as often as you want. No fixed rental stations, but plenty of benefits for your budget and the environment.”

Rates are:

One time sign up fee $35 plus tax
Per minute $0.38 plus tax
Per hour maximum $13.99 plus tax
Per day maximum $72.99 plus tax
Per mi after 150 mi per trip 45 cents, plus tax

Last May a reader noted some unique parking opportunities for the tiny car. Any other fans?

Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

Dear PoPville,

My next bus is not working and I was wondering if others have heard reports. I keep getting a “connection error” for all of the lines that go up and down Columbia road.

Also wondering if you or the crowd know of any reliable and mobile alternatives to next bus.

Thanks and have a happy new year!

Some readers had mentioned last week in a rant/revel that there were having problems as well. The Washington Examiner reports:

Thousands of Metro riders who rely on a smartphone app to tell them when their next Metrobus is slated to arrive have been left in the dark after a divorce between tech companies took a nasty turn. NextBus DC, a popular app available in both a free and paid version, went dead on the evening of Dec. 20 when the company that provides the data stream pulled the plug.

I’ve had luck typing nextbus.com into a browser and it works for me.

Photo by PoPville flickr user McGhee Street Photography

From WMATA:

The ongoing effort to rebuild and upgrade the Metrorail system to provide safer and more reliable service will continue over the weekend of December 14-16 on the Red, Orange, Green and Yellow lines. The work will begin at 10 p.m. Friday and continue through system closing on Sunday.

Red Line

Red Line trains will single track in two work zones: between Friendship Heights and Van Ness to allow for track, fastener and insulator renewal, and between Takoma and Forest Glen to allow for platform reconstruction, signal upgrades and cable installation.
Throughout the weekend, trains between Shady Grove and Glenmont will operate every 24 minutes in each direction.
On Saturday and Sunday, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. each day, additional trains will operate between Van Ness and NoMa-Gallaudet, resulting in service about every 12 minutes between those stations.
Customers should allow about 20 minutes of additional travel time.

Green Line

Free shuttle buses will replace Green Line trains between Archives and Waterfront to allow for switch replacement near L’Enfant Plaza, as well as tie replacement and fiber optic cable installation. The 7th street and Maryland SW entrance to L’Enfant Plaza will be closed. Shuttle buses will be operating from the D street SW entrance, between 6th and 7th SW.
There will be no Green Line service at L’Enfant Plaza.
Green Line trains will operate in two segments: between Greenbelt and Archives every 10 minutes between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., and at regular weekend intervals at other times, and between Waterfront and Branch Avenue at regular weekend intervals.
Shuttle bus service will operate between Archives, L’Enfant Plaza and Waterfront stations throughout the weekend. Customers using shuttle bus service should add 20 minutes to their travel time.
The last Green Line train from Greenbelt to Archives will operate 20 minutes earlier than normal on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Yellow Line

There will be no Yellow Line service this weekend between Fort Totten and Pentagon due to bridge work on the Yellow Line bridge over the Potomac River–including annual inspection–as well as switch replacement outside L’Enfant Plaza.
Yellow Line trains will operate between Huntington and Pentagon stations only. Trains will operate every 12 minutes.
Customers traveling to/from Downtown DC should use Blue Line trains to complete their trip. Transfer between Blue and Yellow line trains at any station between Pentagon and King Street-Old Town.
Customers traveling to or from Yellow Line stations from Fort Totten to Archives should use Green Line trains to complete their trip. If traveling to or from Yellow Line stations in Virginia, consider transferring between Gallery Place and Metro Center using a Red Line train. (Example: A customer traveling between Georgia Ave-Petworth and Pentagon City would take a Green Line to Gallery Place, transfer to a Red Line train to Metro Center, and then transfer to a Blue Line train to Pentagon City.)
Customers should allow about 15-20 minutes of additional travel time.

Orange Line

Orange Line trains will single track between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly to allow for platform reconstruction, and between East Falls Church and West Falls Church for work associated with the Silver Line extension project.
Throughout the weekend, trains will operate every 24 minutes between Vienna and New Carrollton.
Customers using Orange Line trains should allow 15 minutes of additional travel time.

Photo by PoPville flickr user thisisbossi

From WMATA:

Ready for a rail station in your neighborhood? Wishing for a bus-only lane on your commute to work? Want to make sure Metro’s improvement efforts continue to deliver results? Now is your chance to tell Metro what you think should be included in its strategic plan for the next decade and beyond.

Metro launched an online survey this week as another means of collecting input from customers and stakeholders about their ideas and views on the future of transit in the region.

The Metro Momentum online survey, available until Dec. 31, asks customers for their opinions on a range of topics including how to improve safety and service, how to make the system more accessible for people with disabilities, and how to fund Metro.

Metro will use the results of the survey to help prepare for and identify priorities, including how best to improve safety, deliver quality service, meet future needs and help create transit-connected communities.