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Metrobus wants drivers to tell passengers the fare. Drivers say that's dangerous. Who's right?

These questions are at the center of an ongoing debate between WMATA and the union representing Metrobus drivers, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689. On one side, WMATA has this year been directing drivers to quote fares as part of a broader, system-wide crackdown on fare evasion; on the other, the union recently advised drivers not to comply, asserting that fare quoting increases the potential for passenger violence against drivers.
Jenna Lee, August 21, 2026, Washingtonian

Staunton's Amtrak station secures $15 million in rail funds

Repairs to the platform and canopy are planned, along with accessibility upgrades like a smoothed surface and tactile edge strips to meet ADA compliance.
Aila Miyabi, August 19, 2026, 29 News

Public transit is a public health solution

Every full bus removes dozens of cars from the road, reducing emissions and improving air quality, including removing tire particulate matter from our air.
Sergio Lopez/Charlotte (Jingqi) Liang, August 20, 2026, Ripple

WMATA pulls commemorative Freedom 250 Grand Prix Smart Trip cards after finding defect

Metro says they have removed all of the cards from the system, but they have made a small batch available at the L'Enfant Plaza station, which is where WMATA headquarters is located. Other retail locations will be added as they are identified.
Nick Bove, August 21, 2026, WUSA9

Freedom 250 Grand Prix IndyCar travels on Metro from King Street station this morning

Metro said the IndyCar will make its way through the Yellow Line between the King Street Metro and D.C.’s Mount Vernon Square. The trip will happen between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., and there will be brief stops at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and L’Enfant Plaza stations. 
Emily Leayman, August 20, 2026, ALXNow

Metro and IndyCar team up for a busy weekend of Freedom 250 Grand Prix events

The IndyCar, described as a work car that will not run in any of the races scheduled over the weekend, was fastened aboard a flat-bed train car and pulled along the yellow line, beginning at the King Street station up to the Mount Vernon station then back south to the L’Enfant Plaza station. 
Alan Etter, August 20, 2026, WTOP

All aboard Amtrak's sleeker, cleaner new trains

Amtrak plans to begin rolling out 83 new trainsets, dubbed Airo, this fall, starting with eight on the Pacific Northwest’s Cascades route. The trains will eventually serve more than a dozen routes in places like New England, Pennsylvania, and much of the mid-Atlantic region. 
Matthew Patel, August 19, 2026, Misryoum

Additional Freedom 250 Grand Prix road closures announced in Arlington, DC

Closures affected the Arlington Memorial Bridge, Memorial Circle, Memorial Avenue, the southwest portion of Lincoln Memorial Circle NW, and the entrance ramp from Arlington Memorial Bridge to Ohio Drive SW.
Makea Luzader, August 19, 2026, DC News Now

Amtrak re-opens East River Tunnel after year of construction

Over the past year, crews completely reconstructed the 116-year-old tunnel’s interior systems, including track, power, communications, drainage and structural elements.
Brandon Lewis, August 18, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

Events: Celebrate new bike lanes in Alexandria

Here’s some good news for cyclists in Alexandria: The bike lane project on Holland Lane is now complete! The project added bike lanes and improved pedestrian crossings on the formerly four-lane road. Celebrate with a short ride looping from Atlas Brew Works in Carlyle Crossing along the project corridor. 
Tricia Chicka, August 17, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

Amtrak, cities and states get $5.3B in federal rail grants

Approximately $3.2 billion is allocated to improving highway-rail grade crossings, rail bridge repairs and replacement, station improvements and other projects.
Dan Zukowski, August 17, 2026, Smart Cities Dive

The unseen trip: Fighting back when the fare doesn't match the ride

Short ticketing hides in plain sight. A rider buys a cheaper ticket that covers only part of their trip, then quietly travels farther than they paid for. There are no gate jumpers or incriminating video evidence at first glance, just a small underpayment repeated millions of times across a given transit network.
Jeremy Mandell, August 18, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

Students launch survey to improve bus service in Northeast Alexandria

The routes that service the area are also inconsistent and sometimes infrequent as Metrobus tangles into the DASH network. Headways for the DASH 33 and 34 are every 30 minutes, and traffic on the routes can lead to bunching, where a couple of buses arrive in a short time span. 
Brian Shi/Sohum Sundar, August 17, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

How WMATA could help reduce building emissions, starting in North Bethesda

WMATA’s sustainability goals are built around reducing transportation emissions, but in the Washington region, buildings account for 50% to nearly 70% of greenhouse gas emissions. 
Linda Cui, August 17, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

Get ready for Freedom 250 Grand Prix crowds and road closures. Metro has advice.

If you’re planning to go to the race next weekend, where you get off Metro is going to be crucial. But if you're planning on attending the race, the best station for you depends on your ticket.
Freixys Casado/Megan McGrath,Paul Wagner, August 16, 2026, NBC4 Washington

Virginia, DC drivers feel the sting as I-395 bridge work disrupts Express Lanes

Preparation and construction on the project began in late 2024 and early 2025. The extensive work includes repairing, resurfacing and reinforcing the bridge, along with new paint and signs and the installation of new railings, lighting and gutters.
Tom Roussey, August 17, 2026, ABC7 News

Amtrak recieves $5.3 billion for new trains, new tracks and infrastructure improvement

The funding includes $2.05 billion for equipment to fund 43 new trainsets, as well as bridge repair, signal and track improvements and new tracks, including several projects adding double tacks to improve bottlenecks.
Christine McLaren, August 16, 2026, Planetizen

Commuters, beware: New traffic pattern in place on MD-4 in Upper Marlboro

The new traffic pattern consists of two lanes in both directions while maintaining dual left-turn lanes on northbound MD 4 to Suitland Parkway, according to the State Highway Administration's website.
Jessica Albert, August 16, 2026, NBC4 Washington

Metro U pop-up shop returns to DC this month

The retro-themed merch celebrates Metro’s 50th anniversary. Last month, nearly 10,000 people shopped at another Metro pop-up for quarter-zips, T-shirts, and pajamas, The Washington Post reported.
Emily Perez, August 13, 2026, Northern Virginia Magazine

MTA launches CARE Ambassador Team, new Safety and Security Dashboard

“The safety of our riders and employees will always be our top priority,” said MTA Administrator Holly Arnold. “The CARE Ambassadors and Safety dashboard work together with other agency tools, including the Code of Conduct and See Say app, to provide a comprehensive safety approach across the transit system.”
Brandon Lewis, August 13, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

When DC adds bus and bike lanes, crashes go down by a lot

Opponents of bus priority and protected bike lane projects sometimes frame the safety benefits as coming at the cost of their personal convenience. Overall, these data show that is not a significant tradeoff.
Pete Rodrigue/Spencer Ainsworth, August 13, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

Beyond the 15?minute city: What really makes people want to walk

Walking is often a convenient way to get to a grocery store or a bus stop, for example. A destination is considered accessible on foot if it is no more than 800 metres away.
Paula Negron-Poblete, August 10, 2026, The Conversation

Metro union says new policy puts bus drivers at risk

Metro says it has spent millions of dollars on real-time cameras and barriers for operators, with 100% of buses expected to have enclosed barriers by next spring.
Isabel Soisson/Homa Bash, August 12, 2026, Fox 5 News

Moving past the commute: How WMATA's off-peak improvements are reshaping regional transportation

Rather than waiting for commuters to trickle back in, WMATA has increasingly shifted its focus to improving all-day service. Today, Metrorail runs some of the most frequent all-day service in its history. Under the fiscal year 2027 budget, which started on July 1, the Red, Green, and Yellow lines run every 6 minutes all day and the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines run every 10 minutes.
Brian Shi, August 12, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

Hello, the fare is $2.25.

Announcement bus drivers for the Washington, D.C., region’s Metro transit system are now required to make to boarding passengers, part of an effort to reduce fare evasion.
August 10, 2026, Governing

Transit bus orders remain strong in North America, bus manufacturer says

In the current round of Federal Transit Administration funding grants under the Low or No Emission bus program, the agency said it intends to prioritize low-emission projects over zero-emission projects to the maximum extent permitted by law.
Dan Zukowski, August 11, 2026, Smart Cities Dive

VRE runs special Sunday trains August 23

Virginia Railway Express will operate modified service on Sunday, August 23, with northbound morning trains and southbound afternoon trains, giving Northern and Central Virginia residents a way to reach the Washington region without driving into expected gridlock from the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
Uriah Kiser, August 11, 2026, Potomac Local News

Montgomery County bike projects to add nearly 20 miles of new pathways

Another 20 projects are in the planning phase and are expected to add nearly 18 miles of bike-friendly pathways across the county. According to MCDOT, Montgomery County currently has 112 miles of bike lanes, bike-friendly road shoulders and separated bike lanes. 
Patrick Herron, August 10, 2026, The MoCo Show

Study finds cycling infrastructure can dramatically increase bike commuting

The study, published in Transport Policy, found that a one-unit increase in the rate of cycle lanes was associated with an approximately 21 per cent increase in the probability of bicycle commuting around a person’s home and a 15 per cent increase around their workplace.
Ron Johnson, August 10, 2026, Momentum Mag

Red Line and Purple Line progress: Where the projects stand

Crews are making progress on the Red Line and Purple Line.News4’s Adam Tuss shows what’s new and talks with commuters.
Adam Tuss, August 10, 2026, NBC4 Washington

Shared micromobility posts new records in North America

The latest report from the North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association (NABSA) demonstrates the staying power of micromobility as an essential piece of urban transportation, even as trend lines appear to be leveling off.
August 7, 2026, Government Technology

Purple Line trains now undergoing live-wire testing in Montgomery County

At the time of the announcement, live-wire testing was underway in four of the seven sections of the Purple Line alignment. Crews had also completed installation of all 1,187 overhead wire poles that support the power lines used by the trains.
August 8, 2026, The MoCo Show