D.C. Councilwoman Muriel Bowser doesn’t ride the Metro system every day, but pledges to ride it more now that she’s helping to run the transit agency.
The Ward 4 representative, who is expected to be sworn in to the Metro board of directors next week, told The Washington Examiner that she currently uses the transit system “from time to time.”
But she said it’s important for the people who have oversight of the agency to use it regularly to understand the concerns of riders.
“I will make a pledge to be a more regular rider of Metro,” she said.
The D.C. Council voted this week to put her in one of the city’s four seats, replacing Tommy Wells who had the spot for just over six months. The vote, plus the addition of Thomas J. Bulger as an alternate, means that all three reps to the transit agency are from Ward 4.
Bowser said she’s wanted to serve on the board since joining the council in 2007. She currently heads the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, a regional planning group that coordinates all road and transit projects. She said that work has helped prepared her for her new role on Metro.
“Clearly Metro impacts the lives of so many people and the region and it’s important to make it safe,” she said.
She also wants to put the “fiscal house in order,” improve customer service for riders and get a “better bang for the buck with bus service.”
