Metro Ponders Bus Consolidation

Metro is considering consolidating bus stops on routes throughout the District in the name of efficiency and reduced costs. The transit agency plans to hold two rounds of public meetings to receive community comments.

Metro says that no stops have been identified for consolidation. But the criteria for stop consolidation include stops that have a low numbers of passengers and/or are in close proximity to other stops.

"Bus stop consolidation would benefit passengers with better on-time performance and more frequent service at remaining stops, and help Metro save both fuel and maintenance costs as a result of less stopping and starting," the transit agency explained in a press release.

Last month, a Greater Greater Washington blogger opined that Metro should consolidate the 30 bus lines.

"The buses are particularly slow through Georgetown, where the avenue narrows to one lane in each direction. There are 7 stops on the mile-long route on Wisconsin Avenue from R Street to 28th Street."

The GGW blogger questioned the efficiency and necessity of the 30 buses stopping "at Dumbarton, P, Q, and R Streets in Georgetown."

On the Glover Park Listserv, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Ben Thielen also wrote in favor of consolidating the 30 bus lines as well as the D1/D2 routes.

"Consolidating bus stops could make the 30s and the D1/D2 routes more efficient and reliable, help justify installation of new bus shelters (if each stop now has more passengers), and perhaps create more on-street parking," he wrote recently.

The first round of meetings are in May. After the initial tour, which will focus on criteria and process, Metro will have a second round of meeting during which time the agency hopes to identify stops and give an expectation of when the changes might be put into effect. The agency hopes to review three or four bus lines each quarter for the forseeable future.

The meetings begin at 7 p.m. and will take place:

•  Tuesday, May 8, at Matthews Memorial Baptist Church, 2616 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE.
•  Thursday, May 10, at Mount Airy Baptist Church of Washington, DC, 1100 North Capitol Street NW.
•  Thursday, May 17, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 7005 Piney Branch Road NW.