Metro Bus and Rail

The Metro system is the regional bus and rail public transit system in the Washington, D.C. area, operating in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. Cities and counties in the area contribute to the cost of operation. The Metro System is administered by The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

Metrobus is the area's regional bus service and the fifth largest bus system in the United States, with a fleet of over 1450 buses operating on approximately 350 routes. Local jurisdictions also have their own local bus systems to supplement Metrobus.

Metrorail is the regional subway system, often referred to simply as "Metro." The Metrorail system comprises five color-coded lines: blue, green, orange, red and yellow. The lines intersect at various points, making it possible for passengers to change trains and travel anywhere on the system. Service frequency varies according to day and time from a low of 15 minutes between trains on weekend evenings to a high of 3 minutes between trains in the peak of the rush hour period.

MetroAccess is Metro's curb-to-curb paratransit service, complementing Metrorail, Metrobus and local bus service for people with disabilities. Find out more about MetroAccess. In Arlington, also see STAR-Specialized Transit for Arlington Residents for paratransit service. Other area paratransit services.

Choose a topic at left to find out more about the Metro system, or visit WMATA's Web site: www.wmata.com.