We’ve been listening! – Bus Transformation Project

Engagement has been a cornerstone of this project from the beginning!

Engagement activities include:

140 Participants at the Kickoff Summit

+8,800 Public survey responses to date

13 Metrobus division engagement events

4 Focus groups

23 ESC meetings

16 Technical Team meetings

8 SAP meetings

45 External project briefings

3 Public open house events

33 Pop-up events

14 WMATA Leadership Team briefings

285 Social media postings

312,000 People reached via social media

Here's what we've heard:

We’ve worked to incorporate your input into the final recommendations and Action Plan – to reflect your voice and promote transformational change that positively impacts the region as a whole. Read more about what we heard:

Public Input on Travel Choices and Priorities

Public Input on Draft Strategy and Recommendations

Agency and Jurisdiction Comments on Draft Strategy

Next Steps

Thanks to all who have provided feedback. We could not have completed the Strategy and Action Plan without all your input. While these two documents represent the end of the first phase of the Bus Transformation Project, the work doesn’t end here.

Now the hard work begins. Each transit provider, and many other entities in the region, have a role to play in implementing this Action Plan over the next 10 years. In order to unlock the benefits of an improved bus system, each stakeholder agency will need to identify areas in which they can lead, support, or partner with other agencies to move these recommendations forward. Future opportunities to stay involved will come up, particularly as related to distinct recommendations and actions.

The BTP project team is presenting at a number of boards and committees over next few months. These include:

January 15, 2020 at City of Alexandria Transportation Commission. For more information click here.
January 27, 2020 at City of Falls Church Council meeting. For more information click here.
February 4, 2020 at Fairfax City Council meeting. For more information click here.
February 4, 2020 at Prince George's County Council meeting. For more information click here.
February 6, 2020 at Arlington County Transportation Commission. For more information click here.
February 6, 2020 at Montgomery County Transportation and Environment Committee meeting. For more information click here.
March 5, 2020 at Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC). For more information click here.

Additional information available by emailing the Bus Transformation Project.

Public Input Highlights

The Bus Transformation Strategy is the result of extensive public and stakeholder feedback and significant collective effort. From when the Draft Strategy was released in May 2019, a regional, inclusive public engagement effort brought thousands of voices to the project and helped clarify the Strategy’s focus and final recommendations.

How it Happened

Went Where People Are:
Bilingual pop-up events at Metro stations, bus transit centers, grocery stores, and shopping areas all over the region, where people could learn about the project and take a short survey.

Promoted the Survey:
In-person, print, radio, and digital platforms to promote a short bilingual survey about the Draft Strategy.

Hosted Open Houses:
Three public open houses in central locations around the region to obtain feedback about the Draft Strategy.

Used Social Media:
Placed Instagram and Facebook ads to publicize the survey and outreach events – and many of those posts were shared by regional transit agencies and other critical stakeholders.

Public Survey Results

Top recommendation preferences, across all jurisdictions:

Free transfers between bus and Metrorail

Build dedicated bus lanes

Run more buses on busy routes

Safe, accessible bus stops and discounted fares for low-income riders were high priorities for people aged 65 or over, Spanish-language survey respondents, and low-income respondents.

People across all demographic groups believed recommendations could transform bus in the region, and strongly supported public funding for implementation.

What the Comments Said

Free transfers to Metrorail is critical. The region’s transit system is built around being multi-modal. Why penalize people for using the system as designed?

Frequent needs to be reliably frequent. The bus needs to arrive when it’s supposed to arrive. The failure to do so is probably the most frustrating thing about riding the bus, and the thing that keeps some people from doing it at all.

Yes yes yes to dedicated bus lanes. Yes and more yes.

Enforcement programs for bus lanes are critical!

Events

After releasing the draft Strategy on May 6th, we hosted a number of activities to solicit input from the public and various stakeholders. In just one month the project team hosted 3 public open houses and 13 pop-up events across the region!

Open Houses

The Bus Transformation Project team hosted three open houses across the region. Click here for event boards and self-guided PowerPoint presentation.

Virginia Open House
5/20/2019

DC Open House
5/21/2019

People gathered at the Maryland open house

Maryland Open House
5/23/2019

Pop-Up Events

The Bus Transformation Project team held 13 Pop-Up Events throughout the region to spread the word about the Draft Strategy and ask people to share their thoughts. Check out the map to see where we went in May 2019.