D.C. Streetcar Working in Harmony with Overlapping Bus Lines

"DC’s two-mile streetcar route overlaps two popular Metrobus lines, the X2 and X9, and when the streetcar started some wondered whether it would poach those lines’ riders," writes Bryan Rodda to build tension for the big reval. That is, "it turns out overall transit ridership along the H Street/Benning Road corridor is up 15% since February."

The WMATA revealed the data on the streetcar and the bus lines in a blog post on December 12, finding that the streetcar had not cannibalized the bus routes it shares the street with for two miles along H Street. "The result is an increase in total transit use of the bus lines and streetcar combined, not a substitution of one service for another," explains Rodda. "Boardings along the H Street-Benning Road corridor now approach 17,000 per day."

The D.C. Streetcar opened in February, earning positive ridership reviews in August—those accomplishments after years of being called a boondoggle, "worse than nothing," and slower than walking.