New Rules Close Doors On Metro Shuttle Buses

The bus system has long been overshadowed by Metrorail. Metrobus riders tend to be poorer, minorities and less likely to own cars, compared with the mostly white, more affluent and professional passengers who ride Metrorail, surveys have shown. Metrobus has never been able to draw the same kind of money and institutional support despite repeated promises from transit officials.

With rising gasoline prices and train capacity already strained, improved bus service can go a long way toward reducing congestion and moving more people, officials said. The Washington area has the second-worst traffic in the nation.

"We've done a lot of bus studies, and they all show we need more and better bus service," said Jim Hughes, Metro's senior planner. "We've done enough plans. It's time [for] action."

Board members agreed.

"Transit is not just rail," said board member Cathy Hudgins, who represents Fairfax County.

Zimmerman said, "This is the kind of thing that is one of the most cost-effective things we can do to expand capacity."

The plan would add rapid buses to three or four corridors a year, at an annual cost of $3 million to $4 million. Metro and the jurisdictions it serves also need $326 million in one-time capital funds for 135 additional buses, traffic signal technology to extend green lights, road improvements and additional parking at key transit centers.

Board members will be asked next month to start making decisions about funding, with more detailed plans to come in September.

Officials said the proposal will help them lobby more aggressively for bus transit. As part of the effort to upgrade bus service, Zimmerman said Metro needs to provide higher-quality vehicles to create a different image for buses. People will ride it, he said, if they can identify with that mode of transportation.

Otherwise, he said, the bus is seen "as a social-service conveyance for the unfortunate."