Photo by Yonas Hassen.

While it’s not a dedicated bus lane, it’s a start for riders who travel along 16th Street NW, as well as Georgia Avenue: Metro says it will begin running more articulated (or accordion) buses on the S1, S2, S4 and 70 routes.

Beginning August 25, the number of 60-foot buses serving the S line will increase during rush hour. Per a release: “Each hour of rush hour, five bus trips that currently operate with standard 40-foot buses will be converted to the longer 60-foot buses.” Riders will see the same per hour increase on the 70 line, but throughout most of the day, not just at rush hour.

So where are these longer buses coming from? Metro says its reassigned vehicles from other routes, including the Y line. To make up for the reduction in size, Metro says buses will operate with greater frequency.

Ridership on the S line has exploded in recent years, from just over 16,000 riders per weekday in 2008 to approximately 20,500 in 2013, as travelers heavily depend on buses to get into downtown during rush hour.

Via PlanItMetro.