1. 90/92/93 with an average ridership of 13,267 (my favorite bus route)
Runs from Congress Heights/Anacostia Station along 8th and Florida to Adams Morgan/Duke Ellington Bridge
5. 32/36 with an average ridership of 11,943
Runs from Friendship Heights Station along Pennsylvania Ave to Southern Ave/Naylor Rd Station
8. X2 with an average ridership of 11,254
Runs from Minnesota Ave Station along H St NE/NW to Lafayette Sq
Over 13,000 riders a day on the 90/92/93! We also host the busiest Metrorail station: Union Station with 32,745 daily entries. The surprisingly informative 2010 WMATA Media Guide describes some of the major differences between subway and bus passengers. Both share similar distributions of employment and gender. The main differences are the following:
| Bus Riders | Subway Riders | |||
| No Household Vehicle | 19% | 2% | ||
| Median Income | $68,110 | $103,800 | ||
| Below $75,000 | 54% | 24% | ||
| Black | 41% | 17% | ||
| White | 45% | 76% | ||
| College Degree | 56% | 83% | ||
Since 19% of bus riders do not have a car in their household (compared with 2% of rail riders), we can see that bus riders tend to be more transit-dependent, though I would guess that certain routes have more transit-dependent riders than others.
On my recent trip on the 90/92/93, I noticed that a lot people got on around N. Capitol St. I asked someone where she was coming from and going to. She said that she was coming from work at one of the hospitals located just to the north, which are Children's Hospital, the VA Medical Center, the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, and Howard University Hospital. She had transferred from another bus and was on her way home over the river. A trip that took her along 8th St/Barracks Row to M St and then a brief hop over the river.
Why no mention of the D6 or B2? Both of these routes are heavily used.
ReplyDeleteI only mentioned three in the top ten in daily ridership as a starting place. The data relates to the whole city. You are right that I will have to talk about the D6 and B2 in the future. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear these three routes are in the top ten busiest bus routes in the city.
ReplyDeleteThe 90 and 92 routes diverge east of the river. The 90 runs straight down MLK and goes to the Anacostia Metro station; the 92 turns up Good Hope Road.
ReplyDeleteI picked up the eastbound 90 outside Hine JHS one morning and a few stops later the driver stood up and fiddled with something. When the bus turned left on Good Hope Road we realized our 90 bus had become a 92. Gotta love WMATA.
If they add the X1 and X9 to the mix, H street has well over 13,000 riders daily. And imagine the people who don't bother because it's always so crowded?
ReplyDelete