News & Events
Stay informed with transportation news and get inspired with stories about living and working car-free and car-light.
Latest News
- DC bikeshare system breaks ridership record
-
In a proposed budget revealed on April 3, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged $3 million to support Capital Bikeshare operations, maintenance, and growth.
Diana Ionescu, April 16, 2024, Planetizen - Transit worker safety the focus of FTA plan updates
-
The National Safety Plan also looks to address the hundreds of bus-to-person collisions that occur every year.
Dan Zukowski, April 15, 2024, Smart Cities Dive - 8 years into America's e-scooter experiment, what have we learned?
-
Ultimately, researchers see two factors that determine the overall climate impact of e-scooters: how users ride them, and how operators manage them from manufacturing to disposal.
Syris Valentine, April 15, 2024, Route Fifty - Metro begins auto doors function on select trains for 'safer and more reliable' commuting
-
This is the second stage of rollout for the system. The Red Line started this last December and WMATA said there have been more than 750,000 successful, safe, and faster door openings since.
Joy Wang, April 16, 2024, ABC7 News - Youngkin would slash extra Metro funds, shift burden to Northern Virginia localities
-
Amendments from the governor received in the House of Delegates April 8 eliminate that extra funding entirely in the first year and reduce it in the second year to less than $36 million — a roughly $113.5 million delta.
Dan Brendel, April 15, 2024, Washington Business Journal - Biden-Harris Administration awards $23.6 million to help 112 communities deliver transformative infrastructure improvements
-
The program provides two years of no-cost, intensive technical assistance to under-resourced and disadvantaged communities to help them identify, develop, and deliver transportation projects to achieve locally-driven economic development, health, environment, mobility, and access goals.
April 15, 2024, Transportation.gov - OmniRide driver places 4th in 'Virginia Bus Roadeo'
-
OmniRide hosted the 2024 Virginia State Bus Roadeo April 5 – April 7 at the organization’s Western Facility near Manassas. Thirty-four bus operators and seven maintenance teams from across the state took part in this safety and operations competition
Uriah Kiser, April 14, 2024, Potomac Local News - Metro to begin Auto Doors certifications for operators on Blue, Orange, Silver, Green, and Yellow Lines
-
On Monday, customers may notice doors opening faster on some Blue, Orange, Silver, Green and Yellow line trains as Metro begins certifying operators who have been trained to use the Auto Doors function. The certifications will happen over the next few weeks.
April 12, 2024, WMATA - The D.C. Circulator's days are numbered. Could Metro step in and fill the void?
-
Funding for the six D.C. Circulator bus routes that loop around some of the District's most popular tourist destinations is slated to expire in a little less than a year, but city officials are hoping Metro will step in to fill the void.
Nate Doughty, April 12, 2024, Washington Business Journal - Planning Commission chair says Alexandria needs to step up its federal grants game to make transit corridors a reality
-
Transitway corridors are areas where the city is hoping to implement “enhanced transit services” like bus rapid transit, a streetcar, dedicated bus lanes and more.
Vernon Miles, April 12, 2024, ALXNow - 'Significant' MARC Penn Line schedule changes to begin
-
The changes will mean that some trains may arrive early, and some will be delayed between Baltimore and Union Station in D.C.
Anna-Lysa Gayle, April 11, 2024, DC News Now - DC Department of Transportation director: Connecticut Avenue won't get bike lanes
-
Initial plans from DDOT had a protected bike lane on Connecticut Avenue as part of safety improvements but Director Sharon Kershbaum told the Council Thursday they weren’t moving forward with that plan.
Daniel Hamburg, April 11, 2024, DC News Now - Transit ridership continues its slow recovery
-
Transit riders took 7.1 billion trips in 2023, down from 9.9 billion in 2019, in large part due to shifting work patterns and low office occupancy.
Diana Ionescu, April 11, 2024, Planetizen - How transit agencies can succeed at outsourcing operations
-
Transit agencies often contract with private companies to operate part or all of their rail, bus or other services. Done right, it can improve service and even lower costs.
Dan Zukowski, April 11, 2024, Smart Cities Dive - Biden-Harris Administration announces nearly $830 million in grants to make transportation infrastructure more resilient to climate change
-
To strengthen America’s climate resilience, President Biden has secured more than $50 billion for climate resilience and adaptation through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.
April 11, 2024, Transportation.gov - 6th Annual Mount Vernon District Environment Expo
-
Organized by Supervisor Dan Storck, in collaboration with the National Park Service, this event promises an educational and engaging day for the whole family.
April 11, 2024, Fairfax Alliance of Better Bicycling - Circulator bus service could end by March 2025, officials say
-
The Circulator would require an infusion of more than $100 million to sustain itself next fiscal year, said DDOT director Sharon Kershbaum in a hearing with the D.C. Council transportation committee on Thursday.
Danny Nguyen, April 11, 2024, The Washington Post - WMATA and MWCOG announce new joint transit initiative
-
In a news release sent out Wednesday, officials said that the organizations’ Boards of Directors will meet on May 1 to start “months-long discussions about how to efficiently provide, fund, and govern public transit.”
Makea Luzader, April 10, 2024, DC News Now - CaBi continues to break records through March
-
CaBi members consistently make up the majority of trips each month, representing 63.7% of all rides in March. E-bikes continue to account for nearly half of all rides, as 49.9% of riders chose the pedal-assisted option over the classic red bikes.
Samuel Littauer, April 11, 2024, Greater Greater Washington - FTA issues final rule on PTASP regulation, revises National Public Transportation Safety Plan
-
The major safety updates will make transit systems safer for transit workers and passengers across the U.S. while providing workers more input in safety-making decisions through enhanced safety committees.
April 10, 2024, Mass Transit Magazine - New NVTC report highlights importance of public transit to the environment
-
The report, "Climate Benefits of Transit in Northern Virginia,” finds the use of public transit in northern Virginia reduces up to 160,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year and that diesel-fueled buses provide greater benefits to the environment than people driving in cars, SUVs and light trucks.
April 10, 2024, Mass Transit Magazine - APTA releases ridership trends report
-
After falling to 20% of pre-pandemic levels in April 2020, public transit has recovered to 79% of pre-pandemic levels as of March 2024, according to the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) latest ridership trends report.
Marybeth Luczak, April 9, 2024, Railway Age - 'All of their riders are listening to you' | Kids with autism voicing announcements on Metro buses, trains all month long
-
On Wednesday, around 40 children with autism gathered to tour a train, and bus and ask questions to Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke.
John Doran, April 10, 2024, WUSA9 - Metro, Council of Governments officials plan to partner on developing unified vision for the region's transit
-
The planned partnership builds on recent coordination related to Metro's FY 2025 financial challenges. It also provides an opportunity for the region to act with urgency to fully address complex, long-term transit needs.
April 10, 2024, WMATA - Will DC put the brakes on Circulator buses?
-
Under the budget proposal from Mayor Muriel Bowser, Circulator buses would be phased out by early next year. The mayor said rising costs for something that people aren’t using, and is already duplicated by Metro, is too hard to justify when she has a budget to balance.
John Domen, April 10, 2024, WTOP - How DC's Metro lured riders back
-
WMATA’s strategy has been successful so far: In February, ridership across the system was at 83 percent of pre-pandemic levels, and DC has now seen a faster transit recovery than any other major metro area with a comparable public transportation network.
Abdallah Fayyad, April 10, 2024, Vox - Report confirms public transit is good for Northern Virginia's environment
-
The "Climate Benefits of Transit in Northern Virginia" report concludes that while personal vehicles are a major cause of pollution, riding trains and buses can mitigate these emissions.
April 9, 2024, Metro Magazine - Run MARC commuter trains into Virginia. It could draw thousands more riders
-
Nonetheless, the fact that over 10,000 people from the Maryland suburbs are employed near L’Enfant Plaza, Crystal City, and King Street means there is a strong opportunity for MARC to grow ridership.
Ethan Finlan, April 9, 2024, Greater Greater Washington - Virginia governor strikes extra funding for Metro from budget
-
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission says it has the funding for Metro for now, but it says sending the money will mean that reserve funds for other transportation projects down the line will dry up in about a year. Then taxpayers may be asked to pay more.
Adam Tuss, April 9, 2024, NBC4 Washington - DC Circulator bus: What to know about the mayor's shutdown proposal
-
Part of the problem, according to D.C. officials, is that ridership on the Circulator hasn’t returned to where it was pre-pandemic. Bike share and scooters have become more popular since the pandemic, further taking riders away from the Circulator.
Adam Tuss, April 8, 2024, NBC4 Washington