The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority cut service to the N8 bus line Sept. 26 due to low ridership, affecting AU students who live off campus and residents of the surrounding community.
The N8 line formed a loop between Glover Park and Tenleytown, passing AU and Spring Valley.
James Hamre, director of the Office of Bus Planning for Metro, said the elimination follows a service reduction of the bus line in December due to low ridership on the line.
The N8, with an average of 218 riders per weekday in June, failed to meet the necessary 300 riders per weekday threshold required for Metro to maintain service, Hamre said.
As the ridership study was conducted in June, the majority of AU students, faculty and staff were not traveling to and from campus.
Hamre said the elimination of the N8 line was at the discretion of the District Department of Transportation, which funds Metro service in D.C., in order to help them balance their budget.
“There is benefit to having a reduced operating cost by being able to maintain service on the other [bus] services in the district they did not have to be cut,” Hamre said. “A little bit of sacrifice benefits the overall city.”
Daniel Lincoln, a senior in School of International Service who moved to Glover Park in late August, said the elimination of the N8 line has affected his daily commute to campus.
“I was just hoping that maybe after Metro had decided to ax it that they might be able to pick up the service with another bus route, like one of the other [Metro buses] that are in that area,” Lincoln said.
Linda Barnhart, a 2011 School of Communication graduate, said the route change is affecting her daily commute to downtown D.C. because she lives on New Mexico Avenue.
“The N8 and the N2 are the only buses that run by my apartment,” Barnhart said. “[Otherwise] I have to walk up [to campus] and take the [AU] shuttle [to the Tenleytown Metrorail station], and that just adds a lot of time.”
In response to the changes in bus service, Metro rerouted the N2 line between Friendship Heights and Ward Circle via Massachusetts Avenue and Western Avenue, according to Metro’s website.
However, Barnhart said she felt the rerouting was not enough.
“I don’t know what they are going to do for those people who are just completely put out by [Metro],” she said. “They’re not doing anything for Glover Park.”
Hamre said he believes there is sufficient bus access in the Glover Park neighborhood, including access to bus lines servicing Wisconsin Avenue and the D lines that run through the neighborhood.
Metro held a public hearing this spring regarding the elimination of the N8 line, Metro Spokesperson Cathy Asato said.
However, neither Lincoln nor Barnhart heard about the elimination of the line from Metro.
“[Metro] didn’t even tell people; there wasn’t a big announcement,” Barnhart said.
There are multiple ways for customers to receive information regarding route changes, Brian Anderson, the social media manager for Metro, said. These include Metro’s Twitter account (@wmata), Metro’s online trip planner, Metro’s route changes Web page and a brochure released regarding route changes.
Hamre also said that Metro has limited funds for advertising route changes.
Lincoln and Barnhart are each using different approaches to deal with the N8 elimination.
Lincoln said he uses his bike whenever possible to get to campus from his apartment, noting that the ride takes 10 minutes, while Barnhart is trying to adjust her schedule according to the new bus timetable.
