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.