DCST supports frequent, safe, reliable, speedy bus service on the DC Circulator and Metrobus to serve residents all over the city and transport them where they need to go. Especially given Metro's struggles, it's important to offer high-quality bus routes that meet DC's mobility needs.
DCST is working on the following issues regarding bus service:
- Circulator: The DC Circulator has struggled with reliability and does not operate all of the buses it should. Also, the Circulator is not meeting its promised service standard of a bus every 10 minutes. DCST aims to support DDOT to restore the Circulator to a high level of quality. DCST also supports DC's efforts to try out new all-electric buses.
- Bus garages: One cause of Circulator problems is inadequate maintenance space. The Circulator needs a new garage for maintaining its buses. Also, Metrobus will soon need to renovate or replace its aging Western (near Friendship Heights) and Northern (upper 14th Street) garages. DCST urges the District to ensure it has adequate industrial land for future transportation storage and maintenance needs.
- Bus priority: As DC's population grows, traffic will increase. The only way to move more people on limited road space is to prioritize vehicles like buses which move many people in a small amount of space. DC should explore bus priority corridors including bus lanes, signal priority, off-board fare payment, and more.
From the Blog
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Road trip! DC Councilmembers try out the H & I pilot bus lanes
DC’s dedicated bus lanes need long-term political commitment to thrive amid the jungle of competing demands for our street space. That commitment had a visible boost Monday, as a group of DC councilmembers gamely tried out the H & I pilot bus lanes, and shared their thoughts on the value of bus priority in the District.
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DC rolls out the “red carpet” for new bus lanes
In one more week, buses on H and I streets NW past the White House will have their own dedicated rush hour lanes. Over Memorial Day weekend, DC officials started painting the roadways red in preparation.
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Do you hear the people signal support for bus lanes?
Fifty-six percent of Washington area residents think it’s a good idea to change some lanes on the roads into bus-only lanes at rush hour, according to a poll released Friday by the Washington Post. For DC residents, there was even stronger support, with 66%.
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DC will build a tunnel from the NoMa Metro, delay the K Street Transitway, replace lead pipes, and fund more affordable housing
A long-awaited moment in budget season comes when DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson releases his package of budget changes, which combine, reconcile, and sometimes reverse things from the individual committees. Here are some of the changes most connected to issues we cover.
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Here’s what DCST thinks about DC’s top transportation priorities
For the last two years, Greater Greater Washington has managed DC Sustainable Transportation, a coalition of business, advocacy, and government entities who work together on shared priorities for transportation. At the DC Council's recent transportation oversight hearing, David Alpert had an opportunity to outline key transportation priorities.
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The Circulator is now free. Why just the Circulator? It’s complicated.
Following two months of free rides on DC’s Circulator bus in February and March, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that Circulator rides will now be free, permanently. But with no routes serving Wards 4, 5, or 7, is making the Circulator free really an equitable move?
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The K Street Transitway gets $122 million. What’s the K Street Transitway?
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged $122 million to build the K Street Transitway in her State of the District address Monday evening. Residents who haven't been in DC for a decade, and probably 98% of those who have, may have been wondering: What the heck is the K Street Transitway?
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Bus-only lanes on H and I streets NW could make for a faster downtown commute
Your bus ride in DC may get quicker this summer, thanks to a proposed downtown bus lane pilot. Buses on H and I Streets past the White House will get dedicated bus lanes during rush hours from early June to late September.
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Make buses better in Baltimore, Richmond, and Washington, says a regional business group
Baltimore, Washington, and Richmond should all make their bus service a priority with more lanes, faster boarding, better infromation, and much more. Those are recommendations from the Greater Washington Partnership, a super-regional business-led organization which just released a new issue brief on bus service.
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Here’s where bus lanes may one day speed up your ride on 16th Street
Planners from the District Department of Transportation unveiled their design for bus lanes on 16th Street, the next step from a 2016 planning study which recommended a dedicated bus lane in the peak direction during the peak period, as well as a number of other changes to make the 16th Street buses faster and more reliable.
