Navigating the Washington, DC Metro

The bus system, also run by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, covers the city well and is heavily used by locals. Bus stops are marked by three horizontal stripes in blue, white and red. A good timetable and route tool is available on the Metro website (www.wmata.com/timetables/default.cfm); though the most accurate way to track arrival times is through the online, GPS-based Next Bus service (www.wmata.com/rider_tools/nextbus).

The greater Washington area is served by different local bus systems. Alexandria and Fairfax Counties in Virginia and Montgomery, Prince George’s and Prince William Counties in Maryland each run their own public transport or ride-share systems. To reach these services, call Metro (1-202 637 7000) for phone numbers and information.

The bus fare system has changed from paper tickets and passes to SmarTrip cards, the prepaid top-up travel cards also used on Metrorail. The Metrobus fare for regular routes is $1.60 using SmarTrip or $1.80 using cash.The fare for express routes is $3.65 using SmarTrip or $4 using cash. Senior/Disabled fare is 75¢ for regular routes, $1.80 on express routes.

The weekly seven-day regional bus pass costs $16 ($7.50 seniors and disabled), purchased online or at Metro Sales Offices. It is uploaded to your SmarTrip card and activated once you start to use the card.

Both Amtrak and MARC (Maryland Rail Commuter Service) operate out of DC’s Union Station. Amtrak connects with cities all over the US, including Baltimore, and also has stops at Alexandria in Virginia and at Rockville and New Carrollton in Maryland. There are several trains daily to New York, Philadelphia and Boston, including Metroliner services, on which you’re allowed
to reserve seats.

MARC is a commuter train running from Union Station to parts of West Virginia and Maryland (including Baltimore). The Penn line goes to Baltimore’s northern suburbs and runs from 4.45am to 11.40pm on weekdays (every 30 minutes during rush hour, every hour otherwise). It does not run at weekends. The Camden line stops at Camden Yards (Baltimore’s baseball stadium) and runs only during morning and evening rush hours (6.42-8.05am and 4.13-7.35pm). MARC stops at some Metro stations in Maryland. Fares between DC and Baltimore are $7 each way. Both Amtrak and MARC serve the BWI Airport station.

There are no taxi ranks but you can usually find cabs outside hotels and it’s easy to flag down a DC-licensed cab around most central parts of the city. Cabs for hire have a light on top and the company name on the door.

To call a cab in the District, try Diamond (1-202 387 2221, 6200) or Yellow Cab (1-202 544 1212). Cab fares are now metered based on how many miles you travel, with extra charges for additional passengers, rush-hour travel, calling for a cab and traveling during designated snow emergencies. Bear in mind when traveling during rush hour, that time consumed while the taxicab is stopped (or traveling at less than 10mph for longer than 60 seconds) is charged (an extra $15 per hour with Yellowcabs).

Baggage charges are usually $1 for each fairly large, grocery-sized bag handled by the driver, after the first one, and $2.50 for each big bag. In reality, some cabbies charge, some don’t, depending, it seems, on their mood.
To give an idea of cost, one person, flagging the cab, with no bags, not at rush hour nor in the snow, will probably pay $14-$15 plus tip to travel from Capitol Hill to Dupont Circle.

In Maryland and Virginia, cabs also run on meters. Cabs licensed for these areas can legally only pick up fares in DC on a pre-arranged basis—and only take them to the jurisdiction in which they are licensed. That might be why, no matter how hard you’re waving on a DC street, that empty cab goes right on by.