Metrobus customers have been having a rough week as the transit agency reduced service this week. Riders say some buses aren’t showing up on time, or at all, leading to long waits in frigid temperatures.

In a letter from the D.C. Council’s transportation committee, lawmakers described issues with D-line and M4 buses that left at least dozens of children clustered at bus stops along routes to school. Riders have reported lengthy delays amid rush hour and packed buses needing to skip stops.

Earlier this month, WMATA announced that more than 100 bus routes would move to a Saturday schedule and nearly three dozen wouldn’t run at all, amid a rising number of COVID-19 infections among its workforce. The changes went into effect on Monday, January 10.

The transit agency also set a January 16 for staff to get vaccinated, which may leave more than a thousand workers on unpaid leave starting on Sunday. (As of the beginning of the month, approximately 1,500 employees of the roughly 12,000-member workforce was unvaccinated and required to test weekly, according to a Metro spokesperson.)

The reduction of bus service come amid months of delayed service on Metrorail after the transit agency pulled its newest fleet from the tracks in October. WMATA now says that the 7000-series trains won’t return until mid-April at the earliest.

Issues with the reduction in Metrobus service have been compounded by inaccurate data on real-time location tracking tools like Metro’s busETA, rankling many riders trying to time their buses.

“Driver shortages are no excuse for faulty bus trackers repeatedly stating stating bus is coming in 10 minutes and then not materialize,” wrote one frustrated customer on Twitter.

As of Tuesday, about a quarter of routes still didn’t have the accurate real-time information, according to a spokesperson.

WMATA says they have to update tracking information manually and are working to fix the issue as soon as possible. The transit agency encouraged riders to look at the PDF timetables for the Saturday supplemental service in the meantime for the best information.

Metro Board member Matt Letourneau said the board is aware of the service challenges on both buses and trains. “It may not always be visible to the public, but we’ve had many, many discussions with staff and with each other about how to address those the best that we can,” he said during Thursday’s Metro board meeting.

Metro says bus service will be re-evaluated in the coming days and weeks.

Meanwhile, the D.C. Council’s transportation committee demanded a return to regular weekday service without jeopardizing safety — or, “at the very least,” reliable service based on the schedule that Metro itself had announced.

Previously:
Metro Reduces Bus Service, Strengthens Vaccine Requirement Amid Omicron Surge
Metro Says 7000-Series Trains Won’t Return Until Mid-April At Earliest