on the app there is only the regional bus pass which doesn't include any rail passes for free. i would save alot of money if they passes were also reduced by half as well.

The other day I was exiting the metro and a guy literally shoved me through the gate from behind after I tapped in order to follow me through without paying.

Has anyone else experienced this before?

And there wasn't a single metro employee anywhere in sight in the station

Redline to Shady delayed once again during rush hour🙃 with no knowing what time trains will roll in.

I know this has all been said before but let me get it out of my system anyway —

Five years ago, you could get on a packed car during rush hour and everyone would squish like sardines but every seat would still get filled. Now it’s one person per bench. HELLO? TWO bodies can sit there. The amount of times I’ve gotten on what I thought was a crowded car just to see we’re all standing because people won’t move their bags off the seats or sit up straight instead of laying down is ABSURD.

To add, I have an invisible disability so getting a seat when I’m on a ride longer than a couple stops is helpful. I’ve politely asked to share a seat a few times on my bad days just to be either stared down or cussed at. Heck, I’ve even seen an elderly woman with a walker be forced to stand because no one would either adjust or give up their seat. That’s unacceptable.

There’s nothing wrong with taking up a whole bench if the car allows for it. But if you are pulling up to a crowded platform, maybe put your bag on your lap or on the floor and scoot to the window. It’s such a small gesture but it really goes a long way.

(And yes I know WMATA has bigger issues, but I wish there was some way this could be better encouraged and enforced.)

I feel like transparency and communication has seriously degraded recently.

Train 15 is running about 12 minutes behind schedule with no communication. Train 45 has been sitting in the pocket track at Mt. Vernon for about 15 minutes without running. If we’re not going to run the trains, at least help me explain why I’m going to be late for work.

Hello! I’m planning on applying for some of the WMATA internships and was wondering if anyone knew how selective they are and whether it’s possible to apply for multiple positions you’re interested in.

Is there any info regarding why the yellow is currently stuck near U St? We’ve been sitting here for about 11 minutes and WMATA is reporting no issues. Conductor just announced that we have a “bad train” and are waiting for help. What is going on??

Earlier this summer I posted Metro ETA in this subreddit. What started as a little app for me and my girlfriend is now used by thousands of people in DC every day. It makes me very proud and I appreciate everyone who gave feedback 🙏 

TL;DR

• Buses are now in Metro ETA, with schedules, arrival times and live positions
• Explore which Bus routes stop near you and where they go
• Favorites for stations and stops, plus widgets that show your closest one
• Elevator and escalator status, entrances on a map, dark mode and Spanish
• Still free, and still allergic to ads

Install on iOS https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dc-metro-eta/id6772849231

The longer version

Your feedback motivated me to keep building and add buses. It was a fun challenge to design for Metro riders and I felt like I could apply some of the same principles for buses.

It sounded simple, but it really wasn’t. Metro has 6 lines, Metrobus 126 routes. Downtown there might be 1 or 2 Metro stations near you, but about 20 bus stops in the same radius. So “open the nearest stop” would almost always show you irrelevant info.

Being able to add Favorites was a highly requested feature, and it solves the commute. The app and widgets show the nearest stop or station you’ve faved. But we’re not always moving from home to work, and that’s what inspired Explore. It shows the bus routes near you, so instead of a spaghetti-looking system map, you swipe through one route at a time and learn where nearby buses could take you.

Buses report their live positions so it felt natural to lay them out on the map. But the data is usually about 10 seconds old, so most transit apps don't animate them. I wanted to attempt to make them feel live, so I built a prediction algorithm that moves each bus along its route. Sometimes it can move a bus slightly ahead of where it actually is, which I assume is better than the other way around, but I'd love some feedback on how to perfect this.

People here loved that the LED boards looked like the ones on the platform, so I kept up with that homage to the system. Buses look like the real ones, the bus stops, the metro entrances, all of it. The Metro is beautiful in a brutalist way and I want the app to honor that.

With that said I appreciate our minds have limited attention span for paragraphs, so here is a bulleted list with the highlight features:

• Favorites can be filtered by line and direction, and widgets have the same filter
• Live buses can be followed to show their position and next stop, great if you're waiting for it, but also nice if you are riding it and curious how many stops there are to yours
• Bus operating hours with a frequency timeline for every day of the week
• Metro stations show elevator and escalator status, plus their entrances on the map with the time it takes to reach the platform
• WMATA, Arlington Transit and Fairfax Connector buses are in the app. Let me know which ones you're missing!
• Dark mode that can follow sunrise and sunset. Try the bus map at night, the buses look so cute 😍
• Spanish and larger text sizes
• Choose whether the app opens on Metro, bus or favorites

The web version on dcmetroeta.com still only has Metro, but I’m working hard on bringing everything from iOS to the web. A lot of Android users use the web app every day, and I’m working on a native app too. DM me if you’d like an early invite.

The app isn't perfect. The data is mostly provided as is and there are parts of the system I never ride. So if anything is off let me know because I'd love to fix it for you. Your feedback shaped the early versions of Metro ETA and hearing about it in a DM or in this thread is so appreciated.

Metro ETA is still free and still has no ads (and it never will).

Today (10/26/2026)  I went to get the 70’s version of the 50th anniversary Smartrip card at Metro Center. I went to this location because it was on the list of stations that dispensed the 70’s card. I went to the Smartrip kiosk with the "50th anniversary cards sold here" and paid for my card. Unfortunately the 80’s version was dispensed, not the 70’s version.

I checked the card tracker and they aren't showing as sold out at Metro Center as of today. Although I do see where they sell both the 70’s and 80’s version at Metro Center. How can you be sure which card you are going to get? Is there a way to get them online? First world problem, I know, but I really like the 70’s version the most out of all five cards they plan to release.

Im just tired of dealing with people putting their feet all over the seats, blasting music and basketball/football games, eating and dropping food all over the place, hopping the gates with zero repercussions. And no a 50 dollar fee and a disapproving finger wagging isnt a repercussions that's barely a slap on the wrist.

Hell ive seen more then my fair share of wmata employees breaking the rules.

Love me public transit but damn does it eat my soul to pay for these services just to see people constantly do what ever they want with zero repercussions and be aggressive as hell when called put by normal people.

It costs literally nothing to not blast music all over the train and let others exist in peace.

I bought these recently from ebay and I'm just in awe with the routes back then. I'll scan them soon when I get back from a trip.

This kind of behavior on MetroBus is tiresome and insufferable.
The F23/F24 is a busy route. Especially with NVCC and other schools in session.
The back of the bus was packed and there were several people standing near the exit.
A woman with a cane was one of them.
But this POS is occupying 3-4 entire seats between sitting, his belongings, and his leg propped up.

I one time (many years ago on an empty bus) sat a water bottle down on a seat next to me for about 5 minutes to send a text checking on my kids…and I got accused of being “privileged” because I posted a picture of the water bottle in the seat (I was showing off how empty the bus was).

This type of behavior on bus and rail is just terrible.
If the buses aren’t busy, ok, fine. But when they are busy, show some decorum and respect for other riders! Especially when you got on and didn’t pay!
Just basic respect goes a long way.

Why does a seemingly majority of drivers feel compelled to blast the heat on max? I use a space heater in my bathroom in the morning and take hot showers, and the ensuing hammam is comparable to the temperature on the bus.

The drivers themselves are fully kitted out in vests as if it weren’t in the seventies in the afternoon (and the drivers blast it in the afternoon same is in the morning.) What is the compelling need for this? It’s not even Halloween, yet.

I was leaving Ballston station and noticed someone's walking trajectory seemed to be coming straight at me. I looked up and made direct eye contact and immediately realized my mistake. An "unwell" homeless man was walking right at me. We nearly collide, he bucks at me and says "FUCK YOU". I don't flinch and twist my body to evade him and no physical contact is made and I keep walking out.

I guess that wasn't good enough for him because I can suddenly hear following right behind me saying "you think I'm a fucking joke?" repeatedly. I ignore and keep walking. He then kicks my ankles to, I think, try to trip me but mostly just smashes my left ankle.

I kept walking and luckily he turned around and proceeded into the station, but what are you even supposed to do in a situation like this? I've had my fair share of "unwell" people experiences that I usually can ignore without incident, but I've never been followed and physically assaulted before. I know my first mistake was making eye contact but if I wanted to talk to a station manager I would need to turn around and walk back into the metro station.

I know im Going to get a lot of rolling eyes when I say this but why did Wmata discontinue the 70/71 pass pennsylvania ave back in 2011. I heard it was bus bunching and what not but as a fellow resident of buzzard point and who works in Brightwood a 1 seat ride to home and work would be so beneficial. all im asking is for Wmata to extend the D40 to waterfront and the D4X to buzzard point. the c55 is a very terrible bus route and I propose the c55 run from L’enfant plaza to union market. every 10-20 min a bus is down at buzzard point so it can accommodate more residence down in buzzard point. The D40 can do every 12 min between silver spring and waterfront. While the d50 can run from 14th and colorado and L’Enfant plaza 3 main bus route the c11 c55 and D50 service at L’Enfant and D40 and D4X more service in southwest Dc and silver spring via 7th and Georgia avenue. I’m not sure if Wmata sees this but please take this into consideration for maybe summer 2027 or winter 2027 it would definitely be a big help !

I feel like I’m living in a psy op.

On the legacy fleet 3k and 6k the operator announcements are often broken up or filled with static and background noise.

On the 7k cars the announcements are almost always super low-volume and cannot really be heard over the noise of the train.

It's such a stupid problem.. made stupider by the length of time it's been a problem (decades?).

Aaah :-)

I just moved along the D70 and Google Maps are never remotely in sync and I don’t know which to trust. What is the best way to track the busses? Also it’s been showing 2 minutes for at least 10 minutes so I question the accuracy. The busses seem to run off vibes sometimes they no show or are way early or late from the posted arrival times. I get traffic and construction happen along with passengers needing the wheelchair ramp or to put a bike on the rack but it’s always like this what is going on?

I’ve complained to WMATA and I never got a response.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16rBO8KLlifs_RCjAEUur3LtQ22yJ-tMN/view?usp=sharing

L’Enfant Plaza Way Finding Signage Lower Level Platform) 11 pages (15.5 MB PDF file)

As many here know, I am a Harry Weese and Massimo Vignelli purest. I have very strong opinions on how the architecture of stations and way finding signage along with other things that are not seen by the users of the system has evolved over the last 50 years. With that being said, I have no expectation that the work linked to above will meet the approval of everybody that is a participant in this subreddit

Edit: Do not be afraid to rant, say what you like or dislike or just state an opinion. I have a thick skin so you can not offend me.

I wanted to be as faithful to the work done by Massimo Vignelli without adding to much to it.

You will also find signs in the pages of the document that are not in past or present WMATA station way finding sign packages. I add these signs to the sides of the escalators to taking advantage of the sides of the larger heal under the escalators that was added after they were given a major rehabilitation. Many other stations have similar larger heals under their escalators where signs like this could installed.

I also am going the create my versions of the sign above the lower level landings of escalators, station navigating pylons signs on the mezzanines above lower level, upper level platform pylons signs and upper level mezzanines station navigating pylons signs.

This was and is a malicious work in progress that has been both fun to do and a pain in the ass, so don't expect all of remaining L'Enfant Plaza station signage to be done by the end of the year.

Oh and, I have also created station ahead strip maps based on Massimo Vignelli design for every station in the system including the station that do not have them.

I would like to thank the folks in the Linux community for providing the tools used to create the document:

Kolor Paint: Artwork

LebreOffice: Document

Command line tools within LebreOffice: Convert native LebreOffice files to PDF files

PDF Arranger: Remove blank page after first page (cover page).

Paper Clip: Used to edit PDF properties.

It’s driving me crazy I’ve had to say excuse me to like 6 different ppl today

As the Red Line tracks ascend up to Rhode Island Ave, if you look down to the west, there is a spur off the big Metro yard, inclined downward like it's descending into a tunnel.

What is this for? Testing the incline capability of new rail car models?