Metro News Release

For immediate release: April 3, 2006

Metro plans public hearings on fare and parking fee adjustments on four federal holidays and proposed elimination of select Metrobus routes

Metro will hold a series of public hearings in early April on a proposal to charge regular fares and parking fees on four federal holidays, and eliminate service on select Metrobus routes.

Metro proposes to provide regular weekday Metrobus and Metrorail service on four federal holidays and to charge regular peak fares during peak hours and weekday parking fees. Over the last five years, rail ridership has increased 19 percent and bus ridership has risen 40 percent on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Columbus Day and Veterans’ Day.

A second element of the proposal includes the elimination of select Metrobus service. Metro proposes the elimination of:

Late night trips on:
• District of Columbia routes—80; 82; 94; D4; D6; E2; G8; H2,4; L2; M6; N6; V7,8
• Maryland routes—A12; C4; J2; K6; Q2; Y9; Z8
• Virginia routes—1F; 2A; 3E; 4B; 9A; 10A,B; 23A and 38B

All weekday service on:
• District of Columbia routes—5B; H5,7; M2; W9
• Virginia routes—4S and off-peak service on routes 13A,B

All weekend service on:
• District of Columbia routes—N8 and X6
• Virginia routes—4H; 13A,B; and 24P

The savings generated from the elimination in bus service would be reinvested reduce overcrowding and improve schedule adherence on 18 Metrobus routes.
The following public hearings will begin at 7 p.m.:

April 5: Arlington County Board Office, Courthouse Metro Building, 2100 Clarendon Blvd, Room 302, Arlington, VA

April 10: Takoma Park Middle School cafeteria, 7611 Piney Branch Road, Silver Spring, MD

April 11: Metro Headquarters, 600 Fifth St., NW, Washington, DC

Comments will be accepted verbally and in writing at the public hearing or via e-mail. All organizations or individuals who desire to be heard with respect to the proposed fare and fee changes or select bus route elimination can present their views. To establish a witness list, individuals and representatives of organizations who wish to be heard at the public hearing are requested to furnish their name, address, telephone number and organization affiliation, if any, to: Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 or by e-mail at public-hearing-testimony@wmata.com. Please submit only one speaker’s name per letter and refer to Hearing No. 519 (April 5), 520 (April 10) or 521 (April 11), Docket B06-2 in the heading. Written statements will be accepted through April 17,

For more information on Metrobus, please visit www.metroopensdoors.com or call 202-637-7000.

News release issued on April 3, 2006.