WMATA Board approves Better Bus Network Redesign

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board of Directors have approved the Better Bus Network Redesign, the first major overhaul of the Metrobus network in its 50-year history. 

The Better Bus Network Redesign started in 2022 with the goal of making the bus system easier to use, faster and more reliable. WMATA will rename all routes with easier to understand route designations, eliminate 500 underused bus stops that slow down the bus and make changes to most routes to better serve customers.  

WMATA notes some of the highlights of the new network include new connections from L’Enfant Plaza to National Harbor and from Deanwood to Washington Hospital via Ft. Lincoln in Washington, D.C., direct service across Glebe Road from Tysons to Ballston to Potomac Yards in Virginia and new limited stop frequent service on Baltimore Ave/Route 1 corridor in Maryland. WMATA also added 11 more routes to its frequent service network, with service every 12 to 20 minutes.  

According to the authority, many bus routes are vestiges of the old trolley system in D.C. but travel patterns have changed.  

“The DMV region has evolved over time and so should our bus network,” said WMATA Board Chair Valerie Santos. “Better Bus will improve our operating efficiency, enhance connectivity and increase [WMATA’s] environmental benefits. All of this leads to a more customer-friendly bus system that benefits our region that we at [WMATA] serve.”  

The authority will launch the changes in June 2025. 

“The bus is the backbone of transportation in our region and this redesign will make our bus system more efficient for our customers,” said WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke. “This was a huge, years-long undertaking by our staff and I’d like to thank them for their hard work and dedication to improving bus travel. I’d also like to thank customers for sharing their thoughts with us throughout the process.” 

During the next seven months, WMATA will educate the public on the changes, rewrite bus schedules, train bus operators on new routes, update bus stop signage and change data feeds that serve the authority’s transit planning app and third-party directions apps like Google Maps and Transit App.  

WMATA notes it will be working closely with partners at local departments of transportation to install new bus stops and make other adjustments to street infrastructure where needed, as well as update maps and other signage in rail stations and bus stops.  

With community input, WMATA released two plans – a financially constrained network, which was adopted Nov. 21 – and a Visionary Network that would increase frequencies and add more routes but cost 35 percent more than current resources. WMATA says it wants to someday implement the Visionary Network but doesn’t currently have the funding to do so.  

After introducing the two plans, the authority engaged nearly 45,000 people during the public comment period, with more than 100 events and pop ups at stations, on buses and throughout the community. The authority says planners read and considered nearly 21,000 comments and refined the final network.