Metro will roll out all-door bus boarding this fall
Metro this fall will begin to allow passengers to enter from both doors to speed up the boarding process and decrease wait times and delays, transit officials said Thursday, a major milestone in the agency’s years-long plan to transform bus operations.
The initiative — set to debut in 450 buses, or about a third of the fleet, starting this year — is part of a large-scale effort to improve bus riders’ experience in the capital region. The change will roll out in coming months, officials said.
“Two doors are better than one,” Metro vice president for planning Allison Davis told the agency’s board Thursday morning. “Getting people on board faster reduces dwell time, and that obviously improves customer travel times.”
Riders currently board through the front door, where fare boxes are located. Transit officials said they anticipate buses will spend less time at bus stops as the rear doors become fully functional, as opposed to serving only as exits.
The agency has begun the replacement of two-decade-old fareboxes with newer technology that will allow for quicker SmarTrip taps. It is adding fare targets at rear entrances to allow Metro to collect fares at both doors. The SmarTrip “targets” act like fareboxes that passengers tap with their SmarTrip cards or mobile fare-equipped cellphones.
Laura Miller Brooks, a bus rider and co-leader of MetroNow, a coalition of businesses, nonprofits and transportation advocates that has called for improved bus service, said implementation of the program is long overdue and will be welcomed by passengers.
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“Metro can’t control the externalities of traffic or dedicated infrastructure, but they can control trying to make it easier for people to get on and off the bus,” she said. “They’ll be able to more consistently and reliably get your bus to your stop on time.”
The potential time savings, experts say, could lure more riders to the system. Cities with all-door boarding have seen trip times improve substantially, with savings of up to 30 percent.
The program is the latest in a wave of Metrobus changes this summer and part of Metro’s Better Bus Initiative, which aims to enhance service with more dedicated bus lanes, new bus facilities, zero-emission buses and customer-focused improvements.
Last month, the transit agency began to allow bus riders to request to exit between bus stops during certain hours of the night. And D.C. and Metro recently partnered to use cameras on 140 buses to ticket motorists who drive, idle or park in bus-only lanes and in bus zones throughout the District. A warning period started Monday, with fines up to $200 expected to start in September.
In June, Metro received its first shipment of fully electric buses to launch the first phase of its bus fleet conversion. The same month, a $104 million federal grant was awarded to Metro to help the transit agency buy 100 electric buses and upgrade a Fairfax County bus garage into a facility that can support them. At Thursday’s meeting, agency officials said they anticipate a shipment of 10 40-foot buses in the spring while the agency prepares to award another procurement this winter.
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Metro said it is also testing technology to alert bus operators when a train has arrived at a station so they can hold the bus extra time to allow for passengers to make their connection. This will provide a more coordinated train to bus transfer, saving passengers time and from waiting for the next bus, officials said.
In the coming weeks, Metro is expected to announce the routes where it will introduce and test the all door boarding this summer, followed by an education campaign to alert riders of the changes, the new technology and payment process.
The Washington region already experienced rear door boarding in 2020, when Metro closed off front entrances and the first few seats of Metrobuses to protect bus operators from exposure to the coronavirus. Transit leaders also waived fares during that period.
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Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said the system is working to prioritize the needs of bus riders, who historically have not received the same level of attention and amenities as rail passengers.
“We’re really trying to transform the bus experience here in Metro,” he said. “I want our bus customers to use the system, feel that they are important, and make our bus operators and bus staff understand they are just as important as rail at this organization. And if we do that well, ridership will continue to grow.”
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