Black History Month, Equity Insights, a Golden Milestone, and More Inside

February 2023

Welcome to the Better Bus Dispatch—your up-to-date news source for Metro's Better Bus initiative!

A ✨Golden✨ Milestone

This year marks 50 years of Metrobus! We’re so excited to celebrate this milestone with our community, looking back at our accomplishments over the last five decades. More importantly, we’re excited to look ahead to what the next 50 years of Metrobus may look like! That’s part of this Better Bus initiative—taking lessons from our past to improve our future.

A collage of images convey 50 years of Metrobus history connected by blue and red arrows.

This month the Metro Board of Directors recognized two current Metro employees who have been Metrobus employees since 1973—Bus Operator Robert Miles and Depot Clerk James Woods. As we recognize the magnitude of 50 years of Metrobus service, we thank every Metrobus employee for their hard work and dedication that has helped us successfully reach this milestone.

Did you know that as a part of Better Bus, we talked openly with nearly 200 bus operators? They gave us valuable feedback about how schedules, routes, travel demand, and safety affect their daily work. We’ll be returning this spring to engage with more bus operators and our community through 50 Better Bus events in 50 days in recognition of 50 years. So stay tuned!

The rear of a Metrobus with a special celebration bus wrap. The bus wrap reads "Thank you for 50 years of Metrobus!"

Honoring Black History Month

Transit has played, and continues to play, a key role in equity. On Transit Equity Day, we honored Civil Rights pioneer Rosa Parks, whose journey began on a bus. Enjoy this powerful poem, Rosa, by Rita Dove, as you reflect on her legacy.

An illustration of Rosa Parks on a purple background with the words This February 4th, we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Metrobus and Transit Equity Day.

An Eye on Equity

By providing fast, frequent, and reliable connections to jobs, opportunities, and essential services, transit is a powerful tool for addressing the racial and socioeconomic inequities that exist in our region. Building a system that advances equity is an important goal of Metro and the Better Bus Network Redesign.

Did you know that Metro has its own Transit Equity Working Group? Metro leadership launched the group in 2019, and more than 40 Metro staff from over 20 departments work together to promote equity within the agency. These team members develop proactive agency equity strategies to promote an inclusive transportation network and to facilitate cross-departmental communication related to equity.

Want to find out more about how we’re incorporating equity into our redesign? Click the “Learn More” link to read about our findings and watch our Behind the Scenes video below!

Behind the Scenes

Because equity is an important goal of the Network Redesign, our technical findings are key as we look to make the bus better, especially for those who need it most. In the video below, Melissa Kim, Project Manager at Metro, shares some more information on our Equity-Focus Communities and how we are working to better serve them with fast, frequent, and reliable bus service. Click below to watch.

Better Together: Honoring the History of the Bladensburg Bus Garage

Metro is working hard on the entire Better Bus Initiative, and the network redesign is just one part of this important work. The Bladensburg Bus Garage, located in Ward 5 of Washington, DC, is one of Metro’s bus garages currently being rebuilt to support the growing needs of the region, including a zero-emissions fleet.

The site has a fascinating history—watch a video on how an Art in Transit project honors the history of the corridor or read about the project by clicking the link below.

Black and white image of the original Bladensburg Bus Garage

Image of Bladensburg bus garage as it appears today.

Tell a Friend about Better Bus!

We’re glad to partner with you on this important project and keep you informed through our Better Bus Dispatch. We invite you to help others get involved, too, with our Forward to a Friend campaign. You can spread the word so others in our community can join us all in building a Better Bus network for our National Capitol Region.

This month, forward the newsletter to 5 friends—one for each decade of Metrobus! The more people who receive this newsletter, the more people who can stay informed, share their feedback, and make the bus better for everyone.

Click here to forward!

Test Your Knowledge!

How well do you know the region’s bus network? For bragging rights only… 😉

Metro made history in 1973 when it launched Metrobus. What other history-making events happened that year?

A. Wilt Chamberlain becomes the first National Basketball Association player to score more than 30,000 points during his career

B. Washington, DC, gains basic home rule with the enacting of the DC Home Rule Act, allowing residents to elect a mayor and a 13-member city council

C. The Congressional Black Caucus is established in Washington, DC

D. Patricia Roberts Harris becomes the first Black woman to hold a cabinet position after President Jimmy Carter appointments her to oversee the Department of Housing and Urban Development

How did you do on our last quiz?

By what year has Metro committed to converting to 100% zero-emission fleet?
The correct answer was 2045. Click here to learn more about Metro’s phased conversion to a 100% zero-emissions fleet. Kudos to all of you who guessed correctly, and good luck on this next quiz! Check back in the March edition to see how you did.