Bus Champions

Transforming bus service around the Washington metro area will require sustained political will as well as adequate operational and capital funding. Our region needs more Bus Champions who stand up for buses and the needs of bus riders. The MetroNow Coalition asks that you add your voice to the growing number of residents and stakeholders saying, “Now is the time for better transit!” by becoming a Bus Champion today.

Sign up to register as a champion for buses in your community and receive updates about webinars, events, and other opportunities to take action to support the bus.

In 2022, the MetroNow Coalition is hosting a series of educational roundtables to build a cohort of “bus champions” around the region to help accelerate regional bus transformation. Missed prior roundtables? Find descriptions below.

Become a Bus Champion Today!

Upcoming Bus Champion Roundtables

Bus Electrification: June TBD

Join MetroNow in late June for the fourth conversation in its 2022 Bus Champions Series on Bus Electrification, including opportunities and challenges in the transition to zero emissions buses, infrastructure, and preparing the transit workforce.

Registration Link Coming Soon

In 2022, Washington Area Bus Champions agree to:

support MetroNow’s Six Key Initiatives for Bus in 2022;
participate in WMATA’s Regional Bus Network Redesign (kicking off in 2022);
stand up for adequate bus funding (both operational & capital funding); and
support prioritizing buses on roadways with dedicated bus lanes.

Bus Champion Roundtable Summaries

Bus Champions Kickoff: February 2

On February 2, the MetroNow Coalition hosted the first Bus Champions briefing to discuss the Bus Transformation Project (BTP) Progress Report. The report measures progress against the BTP strategy’s recommendations and highlights regional calls to action. By prioritizing better bus service we can improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who use the bus today – increasing access to opportunity, strengthening the regional economy, and creating a regionally coordinated bus network that will grow ridership and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.

Nearly 100 stakeholders joined the briefing to hear from business and civic leaders about the importance of regional bus transformation, including JB Holston, CEO of the Greater Washington Partnership, Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, David Harrington, President and CEO of the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce, Jack McDougle, President and CEO of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, and Bob Buchanan, President of The 2030 Group.

Kate Mattice, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC), opened the conversation sharing why the bus is important for Northern Virginia residents and how NVTC works to support the locally operated bus operators and liaise with WMATA, the region’s largest provider of transit service. John Hillegass from the Greater Washington Partnership and Laura Miller Brooks from the Federal City Council briefed the audience on the key findings of MetroNow BTP Progress Report, including lessons learned during the study process and the six key initiatives the region should focus on in 2022. The MetroNow leaders than asked the audience to join MetroNow by becoming bus champions in their jurisdictions, agree to support bus transformation, dedicated bus lanes, bus funding, and join MetroNow’s Bus Champions series where the Coalition will dive deeper into the six key initiatives the region should focus on in 2022 to accelerate bus transformation. The briefing and discussion amongst the principals was followed by a robust discussion among audience members about the importance of bus, who will be key to engage with in 2022 to see real progress, and suggestions for how MetroNow can strengthen our advocacy work around the bus.

Watch the BTP Progress Report Briefing and Bus Champions Kickoff

Bus Network Redesigns: February 15

On Tuesday, February 15, the Coalition for Smarter Growth and Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce hosted a lunchtime talk to learn about how we can design a better regional bus network for frequency, speed, reliability, and improved access to jobs and daily needs. Presenters included City of Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson who discussed the new DASH Bus network, and two two top transit consultants – Lora Byala (Foursquare ITP) and Scudder Wagg (Jarrett Walker and Associates) who shared about their successful projects redesigning bus networks.

More than 100 stakeholders joined the forum to hear from Mayor Wilson and two of the top practitioners in the field – Lora and Scudder – and their experience leading major bus network redesign projects including in Baltimore, Alexandria, and Richmond. With WMATA set to begin a study of the entire regional bus network soon, this forum was an opportunity to learn about best practices for improving bus service. You can read more by checking out these stories in the Virginia Mercury and in Fairfax Now.

Watch the Bus Network Redesigns Bus Champions Event

The Business of Better Buses: May 16

On May 16, Federal City Council and the Greater Washington Board of Trade was co-hosted a discussion between two leaders in the world of rapid bus transit—Megan Kanagy from the District’s own DDOT and her counterpart in New York City, Kyle Gebhart.

One way to amp up the bus experience is to give buses higher priority on roadways. If buses can move faster and bypass traffic, then ride times and reliability will improve. Riders will be able to spend less time on transportation and more time for themselves. Maybe it means they can apply for a job that is further away from home or their child can go to a better school. The average bus rider is more likely to be low-income, minority and car-less, especially compared to the average Metro rider. Better buses is a great transportation tool to tackle unequal access to opportunity.

Not all bus priority projects are just dedicated lanes painted red. Sometimes it’s a “queue jump” that’s needed, which is like a pull-out at an intersection that allows the bus to go first when the light turns green. It could also be an offset bus lane away from the curb, physical barriers separating the bus lane, two bus lanes (where volumes justify it) or maybe even a whole street that becomes bus/truck only. Enforcement here is important; fixed cameras and cameras on the front of buses should help catch parked and moving cars that are in the way.

We know from other cities that when you build a better bus experience, ridership goes up. This happened in Seattle, where now 75 percent of the city is accessible by all-day ten minute-or-better service. In New York City, there’s been an average 10 percent increase in ridership after each bus rapid service improvement. Faster-moving buses can lead to cost-savings throughout the system. Gas and time aren’t wasted stuck in traffic. Expensive assets are being used efficiently. More riders will use buses, paying into the system and signaling to public officials they value the service. More people will be able to get around the city, to work, spend money at local businesses or go to school. It’s a win-win for everyone.