DC Metro Buses Are Angering Locals

WASHINGTON, DC — WMATA has been struggling mightily in recent months with countless issues in its rail system, but it appears its buses are earning a lot of anger from locals as well lately.

It's certainly not the first time people have complained about Metrobuses this year. The Post reported in April that Metrobus drivers are routinely caught speeding and running red lights, and in June ARLnow.com reported that a pedestrian was struck by a Metrobus driver in Rosslyn. But with the recent concerns about how WMATA is run from the top down, the complaints take on a whole new light.

A just-released Federal Transit Administration report slammed WMATA for failing to properly train its rail system employees, and for the condition of the rail system in general, but the media reports and complaints from locals on Twitter raise questions on whether their bus system is in any better shape. A request for comment from WMATA on whether the agency would also look into the adequacy of the training of its bus drivers was not returned by press time Wednesday, Aug. 10.

Clearly, many locals are not convinced that Metrobus has everything together. For example, one Twitter user posted the following picture of a bus blocking an intersection:

Why @wmata do your buses routinely run red lights and then block both pedestrians and oncoming traffic? pic.twitter.com/BP6XCeO3j7
— Andrew Heimert (@aheimert) August 9, 2016

The complaints aren't just about driving -- some feel that Metrobus drivers are ignoring other WMATA rules.

Got to love that a metro bus driver is smoking in the shelters clearly marked nonsmoking. @wmata pic.twitter.com/rypmGOjMEQ
— Victoria Heckler (@vheckler) August 9, 2016

Countless complaints fill Twitter about late bus drivers, or bus drivers who don't even bother to stop at all.

"Metrobus system does this fun thing where a scheduled bus runs so late that they just skip that arrival," Twitter user Sarah Eva wrote Aug. 5.

There's also frustration with the condition of the buses themselves. One user tweeted a picture of garbage on the bus, while another complained that the window on her bus wouldn't stay latched on the sides, "so the whole thing flaps open from the top every time we make a turn." And one user tweeted out a picture of people with umbrellas open on the bus during rain due to leaks:

Update: there are now 2 leaks on this @wmata bus! pic.twitter.com/L4GMzAUkqS
— Jasmine Nazarett (@JasNazarett) July 28, 2016

And, as a cherry on top of the sundae, a Metro bus stop on Colesville Road in Silver Spring, Md. was named the winner of the "2016 Sorriest Bus Stop in America" tournament by Streetsblog.

"In terms of pure danger, it's hard to top this tiny refuge next to a state highway with no crossing to protect pedestrians from speeding traffic," the site wrote. "The last match in the 16-entry tourney was a bit of a blowout, with Silver Spring racking up more than 850 votes compared to about 200 votes for the other finalist, an unmarked, shelterless bus stop serving Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City."

Image via WMATA