From WMATA:
“Metro is making changes that will make riding easier and more convenient as the region resumes school, leisure activities, and returns to workplaces. Beginning September 5, Metro will add more buses and trains, offer lower prices, and extend Metrorail’s operating hours on weekends.
The changes, approved by Metro’s Board of Directors in June, followed extensive public input about how riders plan to travel. The service and pricing improvements are designed to make Metro a more affordable, attractive way to go and to meet customer needs for more service at all times of the day, not just during rush hour.
“This is a time of change for Metro and our customers, and it’s an opportunity to make our service work better for all riders whether they take Metro to work, the grocery store, visit family or friends or just get around town,” said Metro Board Chair Paul C. Smedberg. “We are adding more rail and bus service, more hours, and working with businesses and the community to ensure the service will be there when riders need it.”
Among the service improvements, Metro will add more buses on the busiest lines to better serve customers throughout the day, reduce average wait times for buses during the day, restore more service that had been suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and provide free bus transfers between rail and discounted passes.
On Metrorail, more trains will run during off-peak hours with average wait times ranging between 2-7 minutes any time of day. Trains will also run longer, closing later overnight on weekends, and opening earlier on Sundays.
“As the region goes back to work and school, we will be ready with service that is convenient any time of the day and offers the flexibility riders need,” said Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld. “We are also making Metro the best way to go on weekends, with less wait times for trains and just $2 for a one-way trip anywhere on the rail system.”
The service improvements will bring overall bus and rail service to near pre-pandemic levels, providing 97 percent of pre-Covid service levels on Metrobus and 91 percent on Metrorail. On some bus routes, and off-peak on rail, service will be even better than it had been before the pandemic.
Metro will also offer up to a 50 percent discount on selected unlimited pass products between September 16 and October 15.
The following discounts and service changes will be effective beginning Sunday, September 5: (more…)
