The Metrobus system is the most difficult mode of transportation to understand in D.C. Without the ease - and resultant expense - of taxis, or the reliability of Metrorail, Metrobus seems to go everywhere and nowhere all at once. Freshmen who make their way to a Metrobus stop for the first time are bound to spend at least a few minutes trying to decipher the hundreds of seemingly random times that make up the posted schedules. Still, the system works - sometimes.
According to a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority study, 75 percent of buses are "on time." This 75 percent "on time" rating seems awfully high to those who have spent an eternity waiting for buses in the cold. This is partially explained by what exactly "on time" is defined as. For Metrobus, the definition fits any bus that is "two minutes early or seven minutes late," an awfully loose parameter that will indeed leave many people seven minutes late. It is still good to note that Metrobus has attempted to improve bus service by examining its own success rate. WMATA has also toyed around with a technologically savvy idea that would use stoplights to keep busses closer to schedule.
Still, WMATA can do more to help Metrobus riders. A reintroduction of the "next bus" phone number, which allowed people to call to find out when their bus would arrive, would be an easy and cost-effective way to help travelers on their way. It's important for WMATA to work out the kinks that made the number useless back when it was still in use. Another good addition would be more express routes into the heart of the city that would give AU students a potentially faster way to reach an internship in the morning.
Until then, good luck to those daring enough to take the bus.
