FY2017 PROPOSED BUDGET

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Proposed Fiscal Year 2017 Budget
Chapter 1
Red Line, is the deepest station in the system (196 feet or 21 stories below street level) with high
speed elevators that take less than 20 seconds to travel from the street to the platform.
Metrobus
Metrobus operates bus service on 175 lines with 299 route variations covering over 280 linear
miles of services throughout ten jurisdictions in the Metro region. Weekday ridership ranges
between 428,000 and 480,000 riders utilizing 11,051 bus stops supported by 2,554 shelters owned
by 15 separate agencies. All buses are accessible to people with disabilities and bike racks are
available for use on all buses. The entire bus fleet is equipped with two-way radio links to the
operations control center, emergency radio silent alarms, and automatic vehicle locators.
The Next Bus service provides customers information on Metrobus arrival times at a particular
bus stop. It uses satellite technology to find specific locations of a bus and sends the estimated
arrival time of the bus to customers via mobile devices. In addition, security cameras are installed
on all Metro buses. Currently, the fleet is comprised of 1,548 buses to support maintenance of the
fleet and meet peak weekday service requirements of 1,294 buses with varying sizes and capacities.
In FY2017, approximately 136 million trips are projected to be taken on Metrobus.
MetroAccess
The Department of Access Services ensures the ongoing accessibility of Metrobus and Metrorail
for customers with disabilities, and in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
provides MetroAccess paratransit service as a “safety net” for those who are unable to use bus and
rail. MetroAccess, a shared ride, door-to-door service, is offered for the same days, hours, and
locations as fixed-route transit, using a fleet of 675 vehicles. In 2013, MetroAccess transitioned to
a new business model in which service was unbundled from a single-contractor operation. Three
contractors operate the van service, while separate contractors manage the Operations Control
Center and Quality Assurance functions. The new model has given Metro more agility and control
in managing the service with greater efficiency and lower cost.
MetroAccess, the nation’s fifth largest paratransit service, provides over two million trips each
year. Demand for this type of service is increasing, as the population of people with disabilities is
growing in the region and nationwide. For this reason, it is critical for Metro to accommodate as
many customers as possible on its fixed-route services, and thanks to Metro’s free ride benefit,
over 2.2 million fixed-route trips are taken by MetroAccess customers each year. For those who
have not used fixed-route transit, Access Services provides travel training to assist customers with
disabilities in navigating our system and taking full advantage of our many accessibility and safety
features. MetroAccess partners with Metrobus and Metrorail to provide group orientations and
helps organizations become more self-sufficient in serving their clients through Train-the-Trainer
workshops. These popular workshops educate organizations on how to provide travel training to
their unique clientele. This not only helps organizations assist their clients to be more independent,
but also serves as a force multiplier for our travel training team. Additionally, Access Services is
partnering with the jurisdictions to improve the accessibility of bus stops in the region that will
further enhance the customer’s ability to make use of the fixed-route system.
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