New pilot program reminds Metro customers to offer priority seating to those in need

Starting this week, new decals will appear on the floor of some Metro trains, reminding customers sitting in priority seats to offer them to those in need. 

Priority seating is intended for people with disabilities, people who use mobility devices, older adults, pregnant people, and others with not-always-visible disabilities. Priority seats are next to the center doors of each railcar. The seats are marked with signs above the seat, but they can be difficult to see in crowded trains or when customers are seated.

The floor decals will remind customers to look up and proactively offer the seat to fellow passengers who may need it more.

“Accessible transit is as much about infrastructure as it is about culture. In a world where many of us are distracted by our phones and plugged into noise-cancelling headphones, we sometimes forget about our surroundings,” said Metro’s Chief Customer Officer Sarah Meyer. “These decals are a simple but powerful reminder that we all share responsibility in making Metro welcoming and accessible to everyone.”

The pilot program will place decals in 20% of the 7000-series fleet for approximately three months. The decals follow best practices from transit agencies across the world and are non-slip.

Metro will use feedback from customers, Metro’s Office of ADA Policy & Planning, and the Accessibility Advisory Committee to evaluate the pilot’s effectiveness before deciding the next steps.

Metro’s upcoming fleet of 8000-series railcars will also include more accessibility features, including a dedicated spot for people using wheelchairs. 

About Metro

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), known as Metro, is the region’s leading public transportation provider, serving a population of approximately four million people across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia within a 2,054-square-mile jurisdiction. With a network of six rail lines, 98 stations, 126 bus routes, and a door-to-door paratransit service, Metro is the second busiest transit system in the United States serving more than 269 million trips in 2025 with a $5 billion operating and capital budget. Since 2022, Metro has completed multiple transit-oriented development projects that have brought $15 million in tax revenue to the region from housing, office, and retail space in our community.  Safety and security are core values at Metro. Over 30,000 cameras monitor the system, and Metro currently has the lowest crime rate in history with fare evasion down 82%. In 2025, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) named Metro the Transit Agency of the Year in recognition of industry-leading ridership growth, record high customer satisfaction, a newly redesigned Bus network, expanded rail service, and improved customer experience.