Metrobus launches cash-free pilot, opens Rosslyn Bus Tunnel as part of service changes June 24

Effective Sunday, June 24, 2018, Metrobus will begin a cash-free pilot on Route 79 MetroExtra in the District of Columbia to make trips faster; new connections are being added in Arundel Mills and Forestville in Maryland; and new, improved service will be provided along Columbia Pike and a new bus tunnel in Rosslyn will allow better access for buses to improve on-time performance in Virginia.

As part of the June 24 changes, Route 79 MetroExtra will go cash-free to speed up your trip. Customers boarding the bus will need to pay with a SmarTrip card. Cash and coins will not be accepted and you won't be able to add money to your SmarTrip card on the bus. The pilot program will test whether going cash-free on Route 79 MetroExtra will make boarding quicker and improve travel times.

Customers will still be able to pay with cash on other routes, including Route 70 which serves many of the same stops as Route 79 MetroExtra.

Metro will also open the new Rosslyn Bus Tunnel on June 24. The bus-only tunnel between North Moore and North Lynn streets will eliminate the long-term construction detour and improve on-time performance.

These are some of the changes being made to 54 routes in the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland to improve service and on-time performance.

Additional highlights of bus service changes on June 24:

• New Route 16C will begin service between Culmore and the Pentagon, seven days a week, with an extension of every other trip to Federal Triangle during weekday rush hours.
• Additional trips will be provided on Route 92 during weekday rush hours to improve service between the Congress Heights and Eastern Market Metrorail stations.
• Route B30 which provides service to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport from Greenbelt will be extended to serve Arundel Mills Mall via Arundel Mills Boulevard.

Below is a complete summary of bus changes effective June 24. Visit wmata.com/bus to view new route and schedule information.

Service Changes

District of Columbia

64 Fort Totten-Petworth

Service will operate along Florida and Vermont Avenues between S Street and Florida Avenue NW, directly serving U Street Metrorail Station, replacing service along 11th Street between Florida and Vermont Avenues NW.

70 Georgia Avenue-7th Street

The timetable will be revised to reflect early morning and late night trip time changes. During the day, service managers will dispatch buses from Archives and Silver Spring Metrorail stations to improve service and provide more reliable bus spacing.

79 Georgia Avenue Limited

Route 79 MetroExtra is going cash-free to improve bus travel times. Metro is testing new ways to make trips faster for bus riders. Customers will need to use a SmarTrip® card to pay the fare as cash will not be accepted, and riders won't be able to add money to a SmarTrip® card on this bus.

80 North Capitol Street

Two afternoon trips will be added to the weekday schedule to improve service.

92 U Street-Garfield

Additional trips will operate during weekday rush hours to improve service between the Congress Heights and Eastern Market Metrorail stations via Good Hope Road SE and Barracks Row (8th Street SE).

94 Stanton Road

Service will be replaced by DC Circulator at selected stops between the Anacostia and Congress Heights Metrorail stations. Alternative service along Trenton Place, 19th Street, and Savannah Street SE is available on routes W1, W2, and W3.

A4 Anacostia-Fort Drum

On weekdays, the time between buses will change from 16 minutes to 20 minutes during middays, and the time between buses will change from five minutes to 10 minutes during rush hours between Anacostia Metrorail station and U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters.

D4 Ivy City-Franklin Square

The Ivy City terminal will relocate to a new stop on Okie Street at 16th Street NE. Buses will travel eastbound on Okie Street instead of New York Avenue NE.

D5 MacArthur Boulevard-Georgetown

The westbound route will change to operate via westbound I (Eye) Street to northbound 18th Street to westbound K Street from Farragut Square. Buses will serve the bus stop on westbound I (Eye) Street east of 18th Street NW to replace the stop at westbound K Street east of 18th Street NW.

D8 Washington Hospital Center

Buses will begin a long-term detour due to the closure of northbound 4th Street north of Rhode Island Ave NE. Northbound buses to Washington Hospital Center will operate via 12th Street, Franklin Street, and Edgewood Street NE, resuming the regular route at Franklin & 4th streets NE. (No change to southbound routing to Union Station.) The timetable will be revised to reflect new trip times.

E2 Ivy City-Fort Totten

The Ivy City terminal will relocate to a new stop on Okie Street at 16th Street NE. Buses will travel eastbound on Okie Street instead of New York Avenue NE.

G8 Rhode Island Avenue

Buses will begin a long-term detour due to the closure of northbound 4th Street north of Rhode Island Ave NE. Eastbound buses to Avondale will operate via Rhode Island Avenue, 12th Street, Franklin Street, 4th Street, and Edgewood Street NE, resuming the regular route at 7th & Franklin streets NE. (No change to westbound routing to Farragut Square.) The timetable will be revised to reflect new trip times.

U5, U6 Mayfair-Marshall Heights

The routes will change to operate between Minnesota Avenue Metrorail Station and Marshall Heights/Lincoln Heights. Service to Mayfair and Parkside will be provided by extended Route U7. The line name will change to Marshall Heights.

U7 Deanwood-Minnesota Avenue

Service will be extended to Mayfair and Parkside, replacing routes U5 and U6. During weekday middays and on Saturdays, service will extend to the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and Ridge Road SE, providing connections between Deanwood, Mayfair, Parkside, and businesses along Minnesota Avenue.

U8 Benning Heights

Selected weekday rush hour trips will be extended to Congress Heights (NEW) and renamed Route V7. Existing service between Minnesota Avenue Metrorail Station and Benning Heights will be renamed Route V8.

The combined Route V7 and W4 rush hour service frequency between East Capitol Street & Benning Road and Congress Heights Metrorail Station will be improved from 12-15 minutes to 7-8 minutes.

W4 Deanwood-Alabama Avenue

Existing weekday rush hour trips operating between Congress Heights Metrorail Station and the intersection of 49th & East Capitol streets NE will change to NEW Route V7 trips operating between the Congress Heights and Minnesota Avenue Metrorail stations via Alabama Avenue SE and Benning Road NE.

The combined Route V7 and W4 rush hour service frequency between East Capitol Street & Benning Road and Congress Heights Metrorail Station will be improved from every 12-15 minutes to every 7-8 minutes.

W9 South Capitol Street Limited

Service will be eliminated. Alternative service between Anacostia Metrorail Station and U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters is available on routes A4 and W5. Alternative service between Anacostia Metrorail Station and Livingston (Southern Avenue and South Capitol Street SE) is available on Route A8.

X2 Benning Road-H Street

All weekday midday trips will operate between Minnesota Avenue Metrorail Station and Lafayette Square. To improve reliability, the time between weekday midday buses will increase from 10 minutes to 12 minutes.

X9 Benning Road-H Street Limited

New weekday midday limited-stop Route X9 MetroExtra service will operate every 15 minutes between the Metro Center and Minnesota Avenue Metrorail stations.

Virginia

4A, 4B Arlington Boulevard-Pershing Drive

Route 4A will operate during weekday rush hours only and trips will be added to Route 4B. Midday on weekdays, the time between Route 4B buses will improve from 60 minutes to 30 minutes. On Sundays, the time between Route 4B buses will improve from 75 minutes to 60 minutes. Weekday, midday and evening Route 4A service will not operate.

5A DC - Dulles

The long-term detour in Rosslyn associated with nearby construction will end and a new bus only tunnel will open for bus travel between North Moore and North Lynn streets, improving on-time performance.

15K Chain Bridge Road

The long-term detour in Rosslyn associated with nearby construction will end and a new bus only tunnel will open for bus travel between North Moore and North Lynn streets, improving on-time performance.

7A, 7F, 7Y Lincolnia-North Fairlington

The weekday rush hour and evening timetable will be revised to improve on-time performance. On weekends, routes 7A and 7F will serve Pentagon City via South Hayes Street, 15th Street South, and South Eads Street between Shirlington and the Pentagon.

10E, 10N Alexandria-Pentagon

Route 10E service between Rosslyn and the Pentagon will be eliminated, and the timetable will reflect adjusted trip times between the Pentagon and Hunting Point. Alternative service between the Pentagon and Rosslyn is available on the Blue Line.

The southbound Sunday Route 10N trip departing the Pentagon at 7:40 a.m. will depart at 7:20 a.m. The northbound Sunday trip departing Reagan National Airport at 7:55 a.m. will depart at 7:35 a.m.

16A, 16B, 16C, 16E, 16J, 16P Columbia Pike

Route 16A will operate between Annandale and the Pentagon seven days a week.

NEW Route 16C will operate between Culmore and the Pentagon seven days a week, with an extension of every other trip to Federal Triangle during weekday rush hours.

In Arlington County, routes 16A and 16C will serve limited stops along Columbia Pike at Greenbrier Street, Four Mile Run Drive, Buchanan Street, George Mason Drive, Oakland Street, Glebe Road, Walter Reed Drive, Barton Street, Courthouse Road, and Orme Street only; and all stops along Army Navy Drive and Joyce Street. (Service to all Arlington County Columbia Pike stops will be available on routes 16E, 16G, and 16H.)

Route 16E will operate seven days a week between Culmore and Franklin Square via Pentagon City and the Pentagon after 10 p.m. on weekdays; and before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m. on weekends.

Trips operated as routes 16B, 16J, and 16P will be replaced by trips on routes 16A, 16C, 16E, and 16H.

16G, 16H, 16K Columbia Heights West-Pentagon City

More trips and new daily service to Skyline City will operate. Routes 16G and 16H will operate every 12 minutes during weekday rush hours and every 24-30 minutes at other times, providing a combined six minute service frequency during weekday rush hours and 12-15 minute service frequency at other times along Columbia Pike between Arlington Mill (formerly Columbia Heights West) and Pentagon City.

Route 16H will be extended as a loop in Skyline City via South George Mason Drive, Seminary Road, Gorham Street, and Leesburg Pike to and from South Jefferson Street, replacing routes 16J and 16P.

Trips operated as Route 16K will be replaced by Route 16G. The line will be renamed Columbia Pike-Pentagon City.

16X Columbia Pike-Federal Triangle

Route 16X MetroExtra will be replaced by NEW Route 16C between Culmore and the Pentagon, with an extension of every other trip to Federal Triangle during weekday rush hours. In Arlington County, Route 16C will serve limited stops along Columbia Pike at Greenbrier Street, Four Mile Run Drive, Buchanan Street, George Mason Drive, Oakland Street, Glebe Road, Walter Reed Drive, Barton Street, Courthouse Road, and Orme Street only; and all stops along Army Navy Drive and Joyce Street.

22A, 22B Barcroft-South Fairlington

During weekday middays, evenings, and weekends, Route 22A will serve Pentagon City via South Hayes Street, 15th Street South, and South Eads Street between Shirlington and the Pentagon. Route 22B will be eliminated. Alternate service is available on routes 22A and 22C.

V5 Fairfax Village-L'Enfant Plaza

Service will be eliminated. Alternative service between Fairfax Village and downtown DC is available on Route 39 MetroExtra. Other alternative service is available on routes 30N, 30S, 32, 34, 36, 92, M6, and W4.

38B Ballston-Farragut Square

The long-term detour in Rosslyn associated with nearby construction will end and a new bus only tunnel will open for bus travel between North Moore and North Lynn streets, improving on-time performance.

Metroway

A new southbound stop will be added to the route on First Street near North Fayette Street in Alexandria.

Maryland

B30 Greenbelt-BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport

All trips will be extended to serve Arundel Mills Mall (NEW) via Arundel Mills Boulevard. The timetable will be revised to reflect the new Arundel Mills service.

C2, C4 Greenbelt-Twinbrook

The timetable will be revised to improve on-time performance. On Sundays, the time between Route C2 buses will improve from every 45 minutes to every 40 minutes.

F1 Chillum Road

Southbound buses will operate to Mount Rainier via Eastern Avenue and 34th Street bypassing Rhode Island Avenue between Eastern Avenue and the Mount Rainier traffic circle. No stops will be missed.

G12, G14 Greenbelt-New Carrollton

To improve the combined service frequency for customers who can use either route, the timetable will be revised to evenly space departures from the Greenbelt and New Carrollton Metrorail stations. Route G12 and G14 trips will no longer be timed to meet at Roosevelt Center.

J1, J2, J3 Bethesda-Silver Spring

Route J1 will be extended to operate between Montgomery Mall and Silver Spring via Democracy Boulevard, Rockledge Drive (Rock Spring Park), Old Georgetown Road, West Cedar Lane, Medical Center Metrorail Station, and Jones Mill Road, partially replacing Route J3. During morning rush hours, buses will operate westbound toward Montgomery Mall via Medical Center only. During afternoon rush hours, buses will operate eastbound toward Silver Spring only. Westbound trips between 6:30 and 9:30 a.m. will operate via Battery Lane.

Trips will be added to Route J2 to replace Route J3 and improve on-time performance. Route J3 will be eliminated with alternative service available on routes J1 and J2.

J12 Marlboro Pike

The time between buses will increase during weekday rush hours from every 28-30 minutes to every 35 minutes, and at other times from every 60 minutes to every 70 minutes to improve on-time performance.

K12, K13 Forestville

Route K12 will change to operate via Donnell Drive, Marlboro Pike, and Forestville Road between Pennsylvania Avenue & Donnell Drive and Pennsylvania Avenue & Forestville Road. Route K13 trips will be replaced by Route K12 trips between Suitland Metrorail Station and Donnell Drive (Penn Mar Shopping Center).

Route K12 will no longer stop on Command Drive at Allentown Road (Joint Base Andrews West Gate). Alternative stops are available on Allentown Road at Command Drive.

R1, R2 Riggs Road

The timetable will be revised to improve on-time performance.