Metro News Release
For immediate release: November 23, 2009
Metro to donate buses for the homeless in the District
Retired Metrobuses to be used to transport people to shelters
Two older model Metrobuses that were retired by Metro are getting a second life transporting people who are homeless in the District of Columbia. Metro is donating the two 15-year-old buses to the District of Columbia’s Department of Human Services (DCDHS) to be used to transport people who are homeless to shelters just in time for the winter season.
“The District has a long tradition of caring for our homeless and this is yet another example of that,” said Metro Board Chairman and DC Councilmember Jim Graham. “This is an excellent use of our retired fleet of Metrobuses.” 
“We are thrilled to put these old buses to use in a way that will continue to make a difference to our community,” Metro General Manager John Catoe said.
Two 1994 buses that have driven 1,457,143 cumulative miles were removed from Metro’s fleet and replaced with new buses earlier this year. The old buses, numbers 9489 and 9492, have a 31-seat capacity, bicycle racks and wheelchair lifts. The buses will be able to accommodate and provide accessible transportation in greater capacity for people who are homeless in the city. “These buses will enhance the quality of the fleet that is utilized to provide this critically needed service,” said Cheryl Holliday, Special Assistant to the Director of DCDHS.
Typically, Metro recycles or sells its retired buses for scrap metal. Instead, the donated buses were decommissioned with the removal of their radio communication systems and fareboxes. The buses will maintain the old blue and red striped paint scheme of the early 1990s, however the Metro logos were removed so that regular Metrobus customers will not mistake these old buses for ones currently in service.
The buses will be used to transport people who are homeless from designated pick-up stops specified by the District of Columbia’s 2009-2010 Winter Plan, which was developed in collaboration with the District of Columbia’s Interagency Council on Homelessness and DCDHS. The buses will also be a part of the DCDHS “Hypothermia Watch Partner Program,” which is an outreach program bringing awareness to the needs of people who are homeless during hypothermia season, November 1 through March 31, according to DCDHS. For more information on the program, contact the Shelter Hotline at 1-800-535-7252.
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News release issued at 4:11 pm, November 23, 2009.