Thirteen of Metro’s bus routes are expected to offer 24/7 service starting Dec. 17, pending final board approval.

The bus routes — 32, 33, 52, 70, 80, 92, A6/A8, B2, H4, S2, V2, W4, and X2 — would run roughly every 20 minutes overnight, from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. and every 12 minutes or less for remaining hours.

Metro says it expects the extended service to be especially beneficial for late-night workers and businesses. Under the current operating schedule, buses are supposed to (but do not always) run every 12 minutes or less from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Buses are then scheduled to offer service every 30 minutes until 2 a.m. They currently do not offer service from 2 a.m. to 4 or 5 a.m., depending on the route.

The Board is expected to formally approve the new overnight schedule at its meeting with Metro officials sometime before December. Metro has already secured $12 million in funding from the D.C. Council specifically for 24 hour service.

On Thursday, the Board will hear updates on the extended service initiative, including recruitment and security plans. Metro will be hiring for 75 positions, including 37 bus operators and seven transit police officers. There will be increased transit police patrol at bus hubs and on some bus lines.

The 13 routes extend throughout most of the District, but a lot of the service is concentrated downtown, which may help with its ongoing post-pandemic recovery.

An earlier version of the story gave an incorrect date for the Board vote.