Politics & Government
Future of D1 and D2 Bus Service Now in WMATA's Hands
Residents of Georgetown and Glover Park have objected to proposed service cuts and schedule adjustments.
Two bus lines that service the Georgetown and Glover Park neighborhoods, the D1 (Glover Park-Federal Triangle) and D2 (Glover Park-Dupont Circle) routes are on metro's list of proposed bus changes. Both Georgetown's ANC2E and Glover Park's ANC3B passed resolutions opposing metro's plans to make service cuts and schedule adjustments. The deadline for public comment was Tuesday, Oct. 18, not it is up to Metro to further evaluate the proposal.
Metro's proposal as it currently exists would widen the headway between the D1 buses from 8 minutes to 10 minutes during peak morning hours. This reduces the number of buses by one each hour.
According to Metro's proposal, the D1 has an average of 517 daily riders and a 74 percent on-time performance record.
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The ANC3B resolution notes that "Glover Park is highly dependent upon D1 and D2 bus service to reach mass transit connections to Georgetown, DuPont Circle, and greater Washington."
The D2 line is among several metro proposes service cuts for on weekend late night trips. Currently this line runs its final route, departing Glover Park at 2:30 a.m. and returning at 3 a.m. Metro would adjust the schedule so that the last bus departs at 2 a.m. and returns at 2:30 a.m.
Find out what's happening in Georgetownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
According to Council member Mary Cheh's public testimony before the WMATA Board Oct. 12, the agency estimate that the rountrip on Friday night has an average of 5 riders and the Saturdanight night trip has an average of 10 riders, which costs between $12 and $24 per rider to operate.
Depsite the low ridership estimates, Cheh asked board members to take a "second look" at the potential unintended side effects of cutting late night service in a neighborhood that already has limited transit options.
"Even if they do not ride buses late at night, cutting departures can cause residents to feel that their neighborhood is less accessible," said Cheh.
She asked WMATA to consider whether "the limited savings that would be gained is worth the cost to riders and the community."
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