The New Bus Routes are Awful

[Anonymous]

I just dove down the rabbit hole of all of the new bus routes that are coming out. They're terrible. Only one of the routes we use will still do what it has always done.

There are some inefficient workarounds we can do on a few routes, but the elimination of the E4 from Friendship Heights to St John's on Military/Oregon is going to be a headache for us. Instead of two buses, our kid will need to take three and travel pretty far out of his way. We can't be the only family affected by this -- there are dozens of kids waiting to get on that E4 every day!

Then there's a note on the M22 that says "Trips between midnight and 2 am operate between Wheaton and Olney only." With the elimination of the L8 and the Ride on 1/11 stopping at midnight on weekdays and 10 pm on weekends, it is impossible to get to Chevy Chase MD! My kid, who is working nights in DC this summer, is not going have many options to get home after work.

[Anonymous]

They are underutilized routes and the jurisdictions are not providing sufficient funding to continue running them.

[Anonymous]

How about Metrorail to Tenleytown and then the new C81 bus?

[Anonymous]

Also surprised by what they're doing on the E4 -- that bus always seems pretty full to me

[Anonymous]

They also designed the routes before a lot of the region’s RTO.

[Anonymous]

Bus people...

[Anonymous]

Did you go to the public hearings to voice your concerns?

[Anonymous]

The old bus routes were far from great where I live and the old route numbering was confusing. Where I live, the updated bus routes are modestly better and the route numbering is wildly clearer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you go to the public hearings to voice your concerns?

I didn’t. I worked from home then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The old bus routes were far from great where I live and the old route numbering was confusing. Where I live, the updated bus routes are modestly better and the route numbering is wildly clearer.

I'm on Capitol Hill and the routes appear either equivalent or somewhat better.

Any changes are going to disappoint some people, but on net I think it makes sense.

[Anonymous]

I too hate the changes to the E4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about Metrorail to Tenleytown and then the new C81 bus?

OP, I'm still interested in your reaction to this suggestion.

[Anonymous]

I'm not loving the new routes either. The one we take most often is going to end earlier and we'll need to take two buses now to get to the same destination. Transfers are always a pain.

[Anonymous]

We got an amazing new bus that goes from our house to our kids school, where previously two bosses plus a walk were needed.
Obviously some will be worse off with any change, but previous routes were designed around no longer existing streetcars and new routes are likely much better for most.

[Anonymous]

How old is your child who gets off work after midnight? I wouldn't want my child taking the bus that late anyway.