October MetroNow Dispatch

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The MetroNow Dispatch

MetroNow Dispatch 10.2021 What a month, eh? In this Issue: Seriousness of Blue Line Derailment and removal of the 7000 Series rail cars from service, WMATA’s Bus Network Redesign MIA, the Metro for DC bill, and way to go MoCo! MetroNow

Oct 27

Photo by Julian Lozano on Unsplash

WMATA, what’s going on?

The MetroNow Coalition is deeply concerned by the recent Blue Line derailment and the necessary removal of all 7000 series rail cars from service. The economic health and safety of

the Washington Metro, including the health and safety of operators and hundreds of thousands of daily riders, depends on the reliability of WMATA’s infrastructure, equipment and safety protocols. The MetroNow Coalition is tracking the investigation and impacts to service, but we are still waiting for the full results of the investigation before commenting on fault or necessary next steps to prevent future crises.

What we do know is that this is not the first time WMATA has abruptly cancelled service either partially or system wide, without adequate communication. WMATA’s announcement to drastically reduce service to every 30 minutes came late Sunday, leaving many customers delayed, confused, and frustrated. As of publication, we still lack necessary information about exactly how long these service changes will be in effect and what viable options exist for Metro riders who depend on the system.

Last week, WMATA asked riders to take the bus instead. As you know, here at MetroNow, we love the bus, but this suggestion wasn’t accompanied by a surge in bus service or temporary routes between Metro stations. We understand that WMATA cannot make buses or bus operators appear out of thin air and that new service schedules take months to negotiate with the bus operators, but WMATA needs a better contingency plan.

Short term, when one line or the entire rail system is shut down, WMATA needs to be prepared to jump into action and deploy staff to Metro stations to clearly communicate what is going on and provide information about bus alternatives to riders who missed the tweets and news stories. Long term, WMATA needs to accelerate the recommendations of the Bus Transformation Project so residents have a high-quality, fast, and reliable bus network (including dedicated bus lanes) that complement the rail network, and can supplement rail service during rail shutdowns.

WMATA had to make a hard decision to cut service to ensure life and safety. We still do not know for sure how WMATA got to that point. While NTSB and WMATA are conducting a thorough investigation of what happened, this crisis underscores the need for better oversight of WMATA. Oversight should be regularly conducted through the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission for maintenance, operations, and safety, and an independent Office of the Inspector General for procurement and budgeting. The language requiring an independent OIG is already included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Package moving through Congress.

Through this bill, Congress has the opportunity to ensure WMATA is fully funded while also requiring more effective, independent oversight over WMATA.

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Read More: Metro to submit plan that could allow suspended cars to return to service (Washington Post 10.25.21)

“Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said the transit agency expects to provide a proposal to the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission — the agency that monitors Metro safety — laying out how it will oversee the return of its 7000-series cars. The safety panel needs to approve the testing procedures before Metro follows up with a mitigation plan for how to safely return the trains to service.”

D.C. to offer free Capital Bikeshare rides as reduced Metro service continues (Washington Post 10.25.21)

“The transit agency said last week that it expects to continue operating with reduced service levels at least until Oct. 31, creating crowded conditions, and for a second week in a row, leaving many commuters in search of other ways to travel. Trains will be operating every 15 to 20 minutes on the Red Line and every 30 to 40 minutes on other lines.”

With No Timeline On Return Of 7000-Series Trains, Some Are Calling For Increased Bus Service And Dedicated Lanes (DCist 10.21.21) “The agency’s 6000-series trains have been out of service for nearly a year after they ran into issue with couplers after multiple trains separated. It is not clear if the 7,000-series fleet could also be off the tracks for that long. And with no timeline in hand, public officials, employers, and riders are left wondering what to do, how to alleviate crowding, and how to get around.”

Where’s My Bus…Network Redesign?

WMATA’s District of Columbia Frequent Bus Service Map

Large transit agencies around the nation are exploring bus network redesigns to simplify, improve and implement more effective bus networks. In our region, Alexandria’s DASH is the latest agency to implement a bus network redesign with a simplified network of highfrequency buses, not to mention free fares and improved access for all residents. Now that the New DASH Network is live, and Montgomery County is also talking about doing an update, what’s the story with WMATA? WMATA has been talking about a bus network redesign for years. The 2019 Bus Transformation Project strongly endorsed a bus network redesign process to rethink all routes, many of which date back to streetcar days. At MetroNow, we have long supported a regional bus network redesign and we love seeing agencies like DASH not waiting around for WMATA to take concrete steps to build a better, more reliable transit network for their riders.

Across the county from Baltimore to Richmond, Houston to Dallas, and Los Angeles and Philadelphia, transit agencies are adopting bus network redesign processes to redraw their bus maps and make a better transit experience. There is no better time than now to start the 2+ year long process to study what a 21st century bus network should look like for the region.

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Read More: New, Free DASH Bus Network Starts Moving (Alexandria Living 9.7.21)

“The Alexandria Transit Company (DASH) has launched a complete overhaul of its bus network with new routes and free service for all riders. The New DASH Network is the first comprehensive redesign of the existing DASH bus service since its establishment in 1984. Now, buses come every 15 minutes and new routes are designed to get riders to their destination faster.”

A New Bus Network for Alexandria, Virginia (Human Transit 9.3.21) “On Sunday September 5, 2021 Alexandria, Virginia will wake up to a new bus system, with a completely redesigned bus network for the City’s transit agency (DASH), major complimentary modifications to the WMATA Metrobus network, and free fares on DASH buses.”

Metro For DC: Free Fares + Transit Funding

Photo by Caleb Fisher on Unsplash

In an effort to support DC residents and boost the WMATA system, councilmember Charles Allen of Ward 6 reintroduced the “Metro For DC” bill. The proposed bill has two primary provisions. First, it would provide DC residents with up to $100 per month on their SmarTrip card, prioritizing low-income residents by allowing those that earn less than 300% of the poverty threshold to enroll first. Metro For DC advocates praise this bill for advancing equity for DC families, closing the gap for low-income workers who typically receive fewer employersponsored transit benefits than high-income workers, and for its potential to expand the workforce and economic activity within the District. Second, the bill would create a bus prioritization fund that would include building dedicated bus lanes and expanding routes and frequency, focusing on underserved neighborhoods.

Currently, the bill lacks a dedicated funding source and a clear definition or threshold for the required amount of excess revenue to kick in the subsidies. For example, if there is only $120,000 in excess funding next year dedicated to this program, which 100 residents should receive the subsidy for the year? Secondly, the bill’s suggested service enhancements do not align with the goals of a better, more coordinated regional bus network. The bill says the Transit Equity Fund can be used to help WMATA create a new, non-regional bus route or install supportive infrastructure along a non-regional bus route, but ideally, those funds could be used to support regional bus routes too. The place where we need transit priority the most and where more reliable and frequent service would do the most for transportation equity is on major, high-ridership corridors that also happen to be regional routes, not non-regional routes.

There is an ongoing debate in the transit world about whether agencies should focus on eliminating fares or improving and expanding service. Until we have a dedicated and growing pot of reliable funding for bus operations across the country, the fare-free vs. transitimprovement debate will continue. The Metro for DC bill attempts to land somewhere in the middle, subsidizing instead of eliminating fares while also mandating more bus funding for improved service, but there are a few details around funding and prioritization we want to see worked out.

Read More: D.C. Council resurrects proposal to give residents $100 a month in transit fare (Washington Post 10.5.21) “Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) reintroduced the “Metro for D.C.” bill, which aims to help job seekers and low-income families with transportation costs while also seeking to boost bus service and Metro ridership.”

Council member proposes giving DC residents up to $100 a month for Metro (WTOP 10.4.21) “On Tuesday, Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen reintroduced his Metro For DC bill, which proposes giving D.C. residents up to $100 a month for SmarTrip use and investing $10 million annually in bus service and related infrastructure.”

What is Metro for DC? Why a transit subsidy for every resident? “Subsidized public transit eases the household budget for families in every income bracket. In Boston, low-income residents who received a subsidy increased their ridership by 30% - that means helping residents get to appointments, work, childcare, and other trips they currently aren’t taking. Unlike housing, food, and other needs, there is no program helping residents with transit.”

Transit Champion of the Month: Montgomery County

Photo courtesy of RideOn

Following a push by a Better Buses campaign led by Coalition for Smarter Growth and 26 partner groups, Montgomery County extended free fares on the Ride On system through January 1, 2022. Free fares were originally adopted across the region as a precautionary COVID measure, to ensure the safety of operators and riders by minimizing interaction. Montgomery County has extended free fares recognizing their benefit to low-income and transit-dependent riders. According to the County’s Fare Equity Study, the average household income of Ride On riders is $35,000 per year. By also increasing ridership, free fares also align with the county’s sustainability goals.

Montgomery County’s Fare Equity Study looked at four future fare scenarios which include free fares for all riders, and an option to permanently reduce fares from $2 to $1. The latter approach has the support of County Executive Elrich, but the County Council’s Transportation and Environment Committee will meet on October 28 to decide which option to recommend to the full Council.

As we noted above, free fares should not come at the expense of transit service or transit expansion plans. But making increased transit funding a priority means we could not only expand transit, and increase frequency and reliability, but also reduce costs for low-income riders. Alexandria’s DASH system did just that by adopting free fares and launching their new and improved bus network.

Montgomery County is now drafting plans for a bus network redesign study. We applaud the county for their recent extension of free fares and their ongoing efforts to provide improved transit options for all their residents.

Read More: Montgomery County Executive Elrich Supports ‘Fare Equity Study’ and Free Fares for Ride On Buses Through Jan. 1 (Montgomery County 10.1.21)

“Reducing Ride On fares helps our low- and fixed-income residents who often must travel by transit,” said County Executive Elrich. “It helps address equity gaps and supports public transit, which is good for our environment. This County is too expensive to afford for those who don’t earn a lot.”

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The MetroNow Coalition is made up of regional leaders from the business, non-profit, and advocacy communities who believe that transit is designed to bring us together —at work, school, and play. Today, we believe our collective advocacy for better transit for the Washington DC region is more important than ever.

We launched the MetroNow Dispatch to bring residents, leaders, and transit agencies together to think about how we can make better transit today, during the pandemic, and “tomorrow,” as we look beyond recovery to how we can build a more equitable, sustainable, and accessible transportation system for our region.

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