Looking back on 2006, which Metro dubbed “The Year of the Bus,” the transit agency can point to a lot of changes.
Chiefly, 417 new buses were added to the fleet to replace older models, cutting the average vehicle age from 10 years to seven, which improved reliability, reduced maintenance needs and made the entire fleet wheelchair accessible.
Overall, 131 million people rode the MetroBus system during the fiscal year ending June 30, a 3 percent increase from the previous fiscal year.
“The Metrobus system provides a critical life link to people throughout the region,” said Gladys Mack, who chairs Metro’s board of directors. “This year we moved forward toward improving our bus service.”
Over the next five years, Metro plans to replace as many as 500 older buses with new ones.
“The new buses look a lot better than the old ones,” said Chris Zimmerman, who represents Virginia on Metro’s board.
The buses will have a shinier appearance, as Metro began hiring contractors to clean the buses more frequently. In the sign department, outdated destinations signs were replaced and more contractors were hired to improve signs throughout the system.
Metro also made strides in using technology. More buses received security cameras, giving Metro 667 buses where the devices have been installed. Metro also began testing a real-time information system on several bus routes to let passengers know when the next bus would be coming to their stop.
As the year wound down, Metro staff looked to the bus system for help as they grappled with a $116 million budget deficit. The staff proposal, which has met skepticism from board members, would eliminate the 10 least-used routes and increase fares to $2 for cash-paying customers.
“Suggesting a 75-cent fare increase for those of us that do not use a SmarTrip card is not a very good way to end the Year of the Bus,” said Dennis Jaffe, chairman of Metro’s Riders Advisory Council.
