Public transportation in Washington DC
 

I'm going to be living/working in DC for about six months and was wondering if anybody who works or lives in the area could tell me about the public transportation there. I really don't want to drive there and I've heard the traffic is obscene, plus it would be nice to be able to store my car for the winter. I don't want to get down there and find out that I'm screwed because the trans system sucks, so if anybody has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.

When I visited DC, I thought HOLY CRAP the transit system is THE SHIT. Actually, I probably thought it was DA BOMB because this was a number of years ago. The trains are awesome, but the weird thing is that the escalator thingies to get to them are the most gigantic, huge, long, tall escalators I've ever seen.

Anyway, it seemed very Chicago-like, in that it appeared to be no problem at all to get around without a car, but I'm sure there are people who know much more about this than I do. PLUS YOU HAVE CLINTON PORTIS.

The Metro system is AWESOME. There's the rail system, which extends into Maryland and NoVA, as well as a pretty extensive bus system. Both are clean and very reliable.

I live in DC and I don't have a car - there's no need for it and the traffic and parking is terrible. My apartment doesn't have parking, but most places will charge you upwards of $200/month to park in a garage. You can get almost anywhere with Metro, plus there are a bajillion taxis around - so I say forget the car.

And Valkyrie - I live near the Dupont Circle metro - it takes 7 minutes to get up the escalator.

I grew up in DC and I must agree with previous posters (even though we still had a car), having the METRO extend their services to various parts of Maryland (PG/Montgomery COunty) and NOVA, it is VERY EASY to get around. If there isn't a train station by, know that there is always a bus....

What part of town will you be moving to? I believe they also have a website so you can check out what you want to do in advance.

Oh...some train stations also have a park and ride service...

our traffic sucks. i've lived here my entire life minus the time i spent at IU, and it has never been great. if you're going to be living in the city and closest surrounding suburbs, then the metro system is the most logical choice. they're working on improving the rail cars and they've just replaced a lot of the buses. one key word to navigating the city during most hours if you're going to have a car... GRIDLOCK! :eek:

i think the worst part of the traffic is getting out of the city rather than navigating within it.

And Gibert Arenas!

I find the WMATA site (www.wmata.com) to be very helpful - you can put in your starting and ending points and it will tell you which bus and/or rail lines to take to get there, what time the train will be coming, etc.

Public transportation here is good.

Only complaint is that there is no metro station in Georgetown.

Last time I visited, the transport in DC was pretty awesome. My brother's fiance did her work placement there and she said pretty much the same thing. There's also growing popularity for the bike commute scene. Don't know what sort of work you're in, but many companies are installing staff showers/lockers and bike lock ups for those who prefer. Some even give a rebate/cash incentive for public and bike commuters because they don't need to allocate parking spaces.

Kinda glad this thread came up, my boyfriend is being interviewed for a job in the metro DC area, and he'd love to get rid of his car in favor of the bike/public transport route.

if you're living in the city, metrorail, metrobus and "the circulator" bus should get you anywhere you need to go. if you'll be living in the suburbs, drive to a metrorail station, park your car, and ride the train in. if you have the option, i would bring the car just in case.

also be sure to ask if your employer will provide metrochecks (fare card) or if they'll reimburse you for your commute. a lot of companies distribute them like candy!

^^^^ dang skippy too... my previous employer gave us 65 bucks a month... I hustled half of them on the side, but it helps out soo much PLUS they get a tax break for offering the metro checks to their employees

I am a big fan of the DC public transit system. The Metro (subway) is clean, quiet, and fast. If you are living and working in DC (or near a MD or VA Metro stop) you do not need a car.

Welcome to DC! :D

Depends on where you are living and working. Some jobs/places are not metro-friendly. However, the metro system and the busses are wonderful, so you can certainly get by if you know the bus schedule. I lived in NOVA for a year-- commuted alternately to DC by bus and metro; and a job in Southern MD by car. Traffic isn't really that bad. Then again, I've also lived in Houston and Los Angeles, so I'm a sucker for traffic. I will say the roads suck-- tons of potholes and super teeny directional signs (GW Parkway WHAT?!)

I was there for last summer, and I thought it was great. Most people I knew wrote it, and it was always quick and reliable. I kinda liked the routine of leaving my apartment, getting coffee, walking to the station, etc... Plus there was that guy every day giving out the WP express papers, so I had that to read on the train.

As for the Gtown thing, I didn't think it was too bad. I lived on Penn. right where it ran into M street in Foggy Bottom. It was about 2-3 minutes to walk to gtown, and about the same in the other direction to get to the foggy bottom station

When I lived in DC I didn't have a car and I was fine. Granted, going grocery shopping is a little different without a car but I got used to it. I lived in Arlington (by the Rossyln stop) and the only place I ever wanted to go that the Metro didn't take me was Georgetown. But cabs are pretty inexpensive for occasional use. Otherwise, I second what someone above said about checking to see where your job is located in relation to a metro stop and then going from there.

Tip for grocery buying your first couple times...I was only there for a couple of months, so I didn't have to do it consistantly. However, I used a couple of those delivery grocery companies, many of which have free delivery for your first time or two. I also found a discount online (maybe amazon or something), so every time I used it I got free shipping, and a couple times I even got a discount beyond that. It was a lot cheaper than taking a cab both ways, and the quality was quite good. I think I used Peapod.

Yea, we use Peapod. It's really convenient. We also have a little pushcart for when we actually have time to go to the store.

Peopod is run through Giant Supermarkets. I think some of the other local food chains have something similar.

I have taken the Metro exactly 1x in my near decade of living in the area. However, my teenage D used it for her internships the past 2 summers as well as running up to her board meetings in NW from VA. Even as an over-protective mother, I really never worried about her Metroing during the daytime or rush hour.

GEN Alum loves the Metro commute as opposed to driving himself. He can read the paper, do unclass. work etc when he's a passenger. From what I understand, all federal agencies and many NGOs give public transportation vouchers that can be used on Metro, VRE, MARC....

There are a couple of difficulties regarding Metro:
First is the fact that it doesn't go out all the way to the Dulles Airport. It goes to Reagan but that is a smaller airport. The battle over public transportation to Dulles is being waged as I write.

2nd is not really a difficulty but more of a heads-up. ABSOLUTELY no food, drinks are allowed on the Metro. This keeps the trains and stations clean. A couple of years ago a big brouhaha erupted because of a 12 year old bring arrested for chewing gum or eating french fries in a station.

I seem to recall taking the metro to Falls Church and then taking a shuttle to Dulles. It wasn't too hard....just more difficult than it would be if you flew out of Reagan. Although the good deals were always out of Dulles!

VDOT and Metro are trying come up with a solution to extend direct Metro rail service to Dulles. The shuttle from West Falls Church is apparently not as reliable as it should be...

I remember waiting for it a few times, but I always planned accordingly. This was a couple years ago though....things definitely could have changed! :)

It was fries.. you can chew gum on the Metro, just keep it in your mouth!

Another difference between our Metro system and other subway systems is that the Metrorail closes at night. There are extended hours on the weekend. This also helps keep the system clean.

I have fond memories of friday night happy hours that went too long and a big group of us trying to catch the last train! :)

Thanks everyone for the insight, I'm leaving tomorrow for D.C. Should be a cool time.

Have fun! The Metro stops at every stop and it announces the stop before it stops, again when it stops, and again once it gets going again-- it's pretty idiot proof and there are maps everywhere with good signage!

Ahhh I miss living in the DC area. I used to live in Alexandria. Even though I had a car the last year of my living there, I still took the bus and/or Metro to work

Metro is the shit!

Have fun...you are making me homesick