WMATA E6 & Microtransit Alternative

Alternative to E6 Bus — Microtransit Shuttle

On another issue related to transportation, WMATA has continued the suspension of the E6 bus which makes it difficult for residents in Barnaby Woods and Hawthorne to get to the commercial corridor on Connecticut Ave., NW and Friendship Heights. The former Commission approved a resolution in October 2020 on the possible elimination of the E6 bus here.

Back in December 2021, I contacted DDOT regarding a microtransit option, following up on a presentation they gave in 2019 to the former Commission. I confirmed that Department of For Hire Vehicles (DFHV) currently manages microtransit in the District via DC Neighborhood Connect, an on-demand shared ride shuttle that operates in parts of ward 1, 4 and 5 and in the east of the river zone portion of ward 8. I asked for Ward 3 to be considered for this shuttle service.

I was told in January 2022 and it was confirmed on April 26, 2022 that the “internal study team and consultant have received your request about microtransit in Ward 3 and that area will be examined as a potential place for microtransit service. The study will be completed later this year and the findings/recommendations will be publicly posted on MWCOG’s [Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments] website this summer.”

Microtransit in D.C – Assessment of DC Connect and Opportunities for Expansion

District of Columbia, $30,000

Identification of options for microtransit expansion, particularly for populations needing to access medical and food services in the face of cuts in transit services.

Info on WMATA’s FY 2023 budget can be found here.