Photo by LaTur.

Photo by LaTur.

You’ve probably heard by now that Metrorail is shutting down at midnight, and will remain closed until Thursday at 5 a.m. for emergency inspections.

Federal employees will be able to take unscheduled leave or telecommute and some charter schools will be closed, but D.C. government and D.C. Public Schools remain open, as do countless other businesses. So the question is: how are you going to get where you need to go?

BUS

The entire WMATA system isn’t down—Metrobuses will be up and running as scheduled. DCPS students will have free rides on the buses, according to Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Additionally, the DDOT-operated Circulator bus lines will be free tomorrow and offering additional service on three lines.

MTA Commuter Bus will operate a regular schedule, though it warns it “may be subject to significant delays given the increased traffic volumes.”

Megabus has confirmed that the Metrorail closure will have no impact on its scheduled routes.

BIKE

In addition to your own personal bikes, the Bikeshare system will be good to go—as long as you can find one—and it’s offering a sweet deal.

RIDESHARE

Lyft says that it is “actively reaching out to the entire D.C. driver community to let them know that we expect very high demand during the commuting hours and throughout the day.” New Lyft customers can use the code METROHELP for $20 off their first ride. The company is also encouraging passengers to choose Lyft Line, which allows passengers to share rides to cut costs. Unlike during the blizzard, Lyft is not turning off its surge pricing.

Uber will be extended its uberPOOL carpooling service to the entire metropolitan area on Wednesday. Additionally, the company will be capping surge pricing at 3.9x. New customers can enter promo code METRODC to get up to $25 towards their first ride.

Ridesharing service Split is preparing for the Metro closure by “putting more drivers out on the road tomorrow in anticipation of need.”New users can sign-up with code GETGOING for free ride credits.

District cabs are also trying the ridesharing approach. The D.C. Taxicab Commission authorized drivers to pick up multiple passengers from taxicab stands between midnight on Wednesday and 5 a.m. on Thursday.

TRAIN

MARC Trains will be operating its regular weekday schedule, though only some trains will have extra cars.

DRIVE

WMATA is offering free parking at all of its lots and garages for customers who carpool or take the bus.

Car2Go is also only charging its normal rate.

However, given that D.C. was ranked as the city with the second-most gridlock before the Metro closure, traffic on Wednesday will likely be a doozy.

Some salve: DDOT is suspending its construction activity, and Mayor Bowser says the city is deploying more traffic cops and helicopters.

STREETCAR

Maybe this is the moment of glory the D.C. Streetcar has been waiting for.

Or maybe not.

This post will be updated.

Filed Under: closure, lyft, metro, uber, wmata,