Should Metrobus run like the Circulator on major arteries?

WMATA has made strides with its Metrobus service, but it’s still a little stodgy when it comes to trying new things. Is it time WMATA took a bold move and began some Circulator-type service on a major arterial?

WMATA has managed to reduce its average fleet age, institute MetroExtra service, implement NextBus service (which still needs improvement) and developed bus stop standards. But all of its buses still run on fixed schedules. The Circulator does not. Instead, the supervisor simply spaces buses out to keep them no more than 10 minutes apart.

In separate conversations, a DDOT employee that deals with bus issues and a senior Metrobus manager both expressed a desire to experiment on major Metrobus lines by dispatching buses at fixed intervals instead of attempting to follow a paper schedule.

One good place to try it would be on the Georgia Ave/7th Street line.

There were high hopes that the restructuring of the 70 line that took place in 2007, along with downtown bus lanes and signal priority, would improve running times along with on-time performance. The running time has been cut, mainly through the limited-stop Metro Extra Route 79, but on-time performance has not improved.

I live near Mt. Vernon Square and take the 70 line with some regularity and offer the following observations.

One of the reasons for poor on-time performance is the sheer length of the line. If a local bus leaves Buzzard Point or Half & O SW, it takes well over an hour to reach Silver Spring. It hits a number of different traffic choke points en route, compounding delays and causing bus bunching.

The local bus base service is scheduled every 12 minutes between Archives & Silver Spring and about every 24 minutes on the stretch from SW to Archives. There is slightly more frequent service during peak periods. In addition, a Circulator route parallels the line from SW to 7th & P NW from 7 am to 9 pm with 10 minute service.

Why not retain route 79 in its present Metro Extra form so those traveling longer distances don’t have to transfer, but break up local route 70/71 into two segments: one from SW to Georgia Ave/Petworth (under 50 minutes) and the other from Petworth to Silver Spring (under 30 minutes)?

Instead of trying to run a schedule, dispatch the buses every 10 minutes on the local lines. Meanwhile, maintain the scheduled operation on the Metro Extra service and for the local service during the early morning, very late night, and Sunday service when it runs less frequently. Eliminate this relatively lightly used Circulator route in favor of 10-minute frequency Metrobus service on a longer stretch from SW to Petworth.

General Manager Sarles had proposed using some bus restructuring savings to pay for improvements throughout the system. One place that was slated to get improvements was Route 79, which was to get two dedicated line supervisors to help with maintaining schedules.

Why not implement this and equip the supervisors with GPS tracking equipment and direct radio contact with the bus operators to maintain spacing on both local and Metro Extra service? Why not use the current strategic buses at Silver Spring, Georgia Ave/Petworth & Archives to help maintain spacing when delays occur? Why not experiment with a reduced fare on the newly split Metrobus lines to see if ridership increases?

The line already has some signal priority intersections designated for Route 79 and a decent bus lane northbound on 7th Street in the downtown area. The TIGER grant will add more signal priority and a short bus lane near Florida Avenue.

Service reliability could be further improved by adding a flow directional bus lane between Florida Avenue & M Street NW during peak periods, eliminating parking on one side of the street during the rush. Also, buses should be allowed to drive on 7th Street instead of detouring with other traffic during Verizon Center events, perhaps at a 5 mph speed to keep the road comfortable for pedestrians.

Another choke point occurs during the pm peak northbound between the Walter Reed site and the District line. Perhaps a northbound peak period bus lane would help on that stretch as well.

The 7th Street line originated as a streetcar line and retained its productivity when converted to buses. Before the inner Green Line segment opened, the Georgia Avenue/7th Street line was recovering nearly 90% of its operating costs during the weekdays. A little creativity, some good analysis, a little paint, some cooperation between DDOT and WMATA, and a will to try some changes could go a long way toward returning this corridor to a model for other major arterial bus lines.