D.C. Unveils Proposed Bus Network Redesign

The plan includes 24-hour service and expanded bus lines, but Metro has to fill a large budget gap before it can be fully implemented.

1 minute read

April 21, 2023, 5:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Proposed map of new D.C. bus system redesign

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority / Proposed D.C. bus system redesign map

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) revealed its bus network redesign plan, an as-yet-unfunded vision of a radically expanded network with 24-hour service.

As Jordan Pascale explains in DCist, “The new routes are the result of five years of work to make the system more user-friendly, equitable, and robust. It includes 100 bus routes with 20-minute frequencies or better (many have 12-minute frequencies) and simpler, more direct routes.”

The 24-hour service would include buses to Dulles Airport and key Metro stations in the region. “The transit agency didn’t specifically list route-by-route changes, but some noticeable additions are a bus between Bethesda and Tysons, an extension of a bus route from Ballston to George Mason University instead of Dunn Loring, and the extension of a route from Silver Spring to Waterfront instead of Archives.”

See the source article for full PDF maps of the proposed redesign, parts of which could be implemented in 2024.

Monday, April 17, 2023 in DCist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive