Starting June 29, Metro’s new bus network will change your bus route. It’s the system’s first overhaul in 50 years, and they’re making changes to every existing line. Expect all route names to have new names, some routes to disappear, and 527 stops eliminated to speed up service.
So what does this mean for you? We spoke to Allison Davis who leads Metro’s Office of Planning about the thought behind this and how you can prepare for the upcoming changes.
🚏 The New Naming System
Davis says the existing names that have been around for decades don’t really tell the story of where the buses actually go and didn’t help people understand where to go. In the new system, the first letter of the route name will signal the direction or jurisdiction that route operates in. For example, routes that start with A operate in Arlington and Alexandria. In the District, routes that start with "D" go Downtown. "C" indicates crosstown. And express routes will have an "X" at the end, like D6X going down 16th Street NW.
🚌 So, What’s My New Route?
You’ve likely seen some signs on your current bus route signaling route changes. But if you haven’t figured that out yet, you can also head to the WMATA website’s Trip Planner tool to see your new route. Select a date after July 29. For example, if you typically took the 90 bus route from 18th Street NW and California Street NW in Adams Morgan to get to La Cosecha in the Union Market area, the new bus route would be the C53 towards Congress Heights. Here are more route profiles for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Third-party apps may not be updated on these bus route changes by June 29, such as Google, Waze, etc., but Davis says they expect these apps to be updated within a short period of time.
