Community Corner
Will the Metro Bus from Crofton Be Slashed?
The B29 and B31 bus could be eliminated from Crofton, or riders may be asked to take an extra shuttle bus. There will be hearings on the changes next week.
Buses shuttling commuters between Crofton and the New Carrollton Metro Station are under review due to low ridership and problems with reliability, and officials are exploring the possibility of ending the service altogether.
The B29 and B31 buses, which are two of the only buses in Crofton that move commuters to a Metro stop, were part of an analysis by Metro that included all routes in the Crofton-Bowie area. The analysis showed that that an average of 268 people ride the B29 and B31 buses each day. That's about 100 riders less than what WMATA likes to see on its buses.
Metro has proposed three possible options for these routes, according to Metro's planning blog.
- Option 1 - Crofton commuters would take the bus to the Bowie Park & Ride, then transfer on to a new shuttle bus to the New Carollton Metro station.
- Option 2 - Operations from Crofton to New Carrollton would continue, with buses every 30 minutes during peak times.
- Option 3 - The bus would no longer stop at the Crofton Country Club Park & Ride, and instead serve stops in Bowie.
Currently, the B29 bus runs between the Crofton Country Club and the New Carrollton Metro Station. It runs from 6 a.m. to 7:43 a.m. from Crofton and makes afternoon trips back to Crofton between 4:15 p.m. and 6:28 p.m.
The B31 bus offers evening service from New Carrollton from 7:28 p.m. to 9:28 p.m.
According to Metro, the buses have a combined ridership of 268 people, with 14 boardings per trip. (Based on a study in December of 2012.) Metro's analysis showed that the B29 bus, in particular, has had poor on-time performance, particularly during peak evening hours.
The Greater Crofton Council has been among the groups urging WMATA to keep the route, pointing out that it is the only route in the area that provides access to a Metro stop.
There will be public hearings to discuss the proposed changes to Metro bus routes between September 16 and 19. The full schedule is available on Metro's Website.
See also:
Do you ride the B29 or B31 bus?
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here
