The Marshall Heights Line, designated Route U5 & U6, are daily bus routes operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Minnesota Avenue station of the Orange Line of the Washington Metro and Marshall Heights via Lincoln Heights. Both lines operate every 20-30 minutes at all times. Trips take roughly 30 minutes for both routes.
| U5, U6 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Heights Line | |||
 | |||
| Overview | |||
| System | Metrobus | ||
| Operator | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | ||
| Garage | Southern Ave (Weekdays), Bladensburg (Weekends) | ||
| Livery | Local | ||
| Began service | 1966 | ||
| Route | |||
| Locale | Northeast, Southeast | ||
| Communities served | Benning Heights, Lincoln Heights, Fort Dupont, Capitol View, Marshall Heights | ||
| Landmarks served | Marshall Heights, Lincoln Heights, Capitol View, Benning Road station, Texas Ave. S.E., 37th St. and Ely Pl. S.E. (U6), Ridge Rd. S.E., Greenway, Minnesota Avenue station | ||
| Start | Minnesota Avenue station | ||
| Via | Minnesota Avenue NE, Texas Avenue SE. Ridge Road SE | ||
| End | Marshall Heights (51st Street & Fitch Streets SE) | ||
| Length | 30 minutes | ||
| Service | |||
| Level | Daily | ||
| Frequency | 20 minutes (Between 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily) 30 minutes (all other times) | ||
| Operates | 4:18 AM - 2:00 AM | ||
| Ridership | 393,929 (U5, FY 2023)[1] 373,545 (U6, FY 2023)[1] | ||
| Transfers | SmarTrip only | ||
| Timetable | Marshall Heights Line | ||
| |||
Route Description
editRoutes U5 and U6 provide service in Northeast and Southeast Washington in Marshall Heights, Lincoln Heights, Benning Heights, and Greenway via Minnesota Avenue, Ridge Road, Texas Avenue, and East Capitol Street.
Routes U5 and U6 operates out of Southern Avenue Annex during the weekdays and
History
editU5 & U6 originally operated as part of the "Mayfair-Marshall Heights" D.C. Transit System Bus Line.[2] U5 & U6 eventually became WMATA Metrobus Routes on February 4, 1973, when WMATA acquired all four bus companies that operated throughout the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area and merged them all together to form its own, "Metrobus" System while keeping their same routing.[2]
On December 3, 1978, both routes U5 and U6 went through a minor rerouting change, to divert into the newly opened Minnesota Avenue station.[3]
On November 22, 1980, both routes U5 and U6 began serving Benning Road station. Both U5 & U6 would serve the station at the intersection of East Capitol Street NE & Benning Road NE/SE.[4]
In WMATA's FY2015, it was proposed to shorten routes U5 and U6 at Minnesota Avenue station having Mayfair service replaced by a new route U1. The reasons were to improve reliability of service by operating shorter routes, create a better balance of capacity and demand throughout the line, and performance measures has an on-time performance is 78 percent compared to the target of 81 percent.[5]
The study was brought up again during WMATA's FY2019 budget. Routes U5 and U6 would end at Minnesota Avenue station still with Mayfair service replaced by route U7. This was to improve service reliability and on-time performance by shortening the routes, create a better balance of capacity and customer demand on routes U5, U6, and U7, recommended in the 2014 U and V Lines Service Evaluation Study, and respond to Minnesota Avenue NE construction conclusion. Performance measures go as the following:
| Performance Measure | Route U5, U6 | WMATA Guideline | Pass/Fail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Weekday Riders | 3233 | 432 | Pass |
| Cost Recovery | 18% | 16.6% | Pass |
| Subsidy per Rider | $2.40 | $4.81 | Pass |
| Riders per Trip | 45 | 10.7 | Fail |
| Riders per Revenue Mile | 4.4 | 1.3 | Pass |
On June 24, 2018, Route U5 and U6 discontinued service to Mayfair & Parkside being replaced by extended route U7. All trips now terminate at Minnesota Avenue station.[6] The line was also renamed from "Mayfair–Marshall Heights Line" to "Marshall Heights Line."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Route U5 and U6 was reduced to operate on its Saturday supplemental schedule during the weekdays beginning on March 16, 2020.[7] On March 18, 2020, the line was further reduced to operate on its Sunday schedule.[8] Weekend service was later suspended on March 21, 2020.[9] Additional service and weekend service was restored on August 23, 2020.[10]
In February 2021 during the FY2022 budget, WMATA proposed to eliminate the U5 and U6 and replace it with a modified 96 and Route V2 if WMATA does not get any federal funding.[11]
Incidents
edit- On November 13, 2011, at around 6:30 AM, a man was shot twice on a U6 bus along 37th Street and Ridge Road. The victim was taken to a local hospital.[12]
- On May 3, 2016, 30-year-old Keith James Loving hijacked a U6 bus along Minnesota and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenues with needle nose pliers and drove the bus into a gas station parking lot killing 40-year-old Anthony Payne. Police later apprehend Loving and was later arrested and charged with murder. The U6 driver suffered minor back injuries while no passengers were injured.[13][14][15] Keith Loving was later sentenced to 21 years in jail.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b "Metrobus FY2023 Annual Line Performance Report" (PDF). wmata.com. April 27, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ a b "WASHINGTON DC TRANSIT ROUTES". www.chicagorailfan.com. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ Feaver, Douglas B. (1978-11-30). "Bus Routes Change Sunday to Link with Orange Line". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ "New Subway Stops Bring Metrobus Service Changes". Washington Post. January 1, 1981. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROPOSED BUS SERVICE CHANGES FISCAL YEAR 2015" (PDF). www.wmata.com. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Metrobus Service Changes, June 24". Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- ^ "Metro announces additional COVID-19 changes, including reduced service beginning Monday | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ "METRO SERVICE LEVELS & HOURS FURTHER REDUCED TO SUPPORT ESSENTIAL TRIPS ONLY, STARTING WEDNESDAY | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ "Weekend: Metro service limited to 26 bus routes, reduced rail service; expect wait times of 30 minutes; customers urged to travel only if essential | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ "August 2020 Metrobus Service Changes, August 23 | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ "FY22 Proposed Metrobus Service Changes District of Columbia" (PDF). Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Metrobus Passenger Shot While on Bus". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ Hermann, Peter; Shapiro, T. Rees; Hedgpeth, Dana (3 May 2016). "Police describe hijacking of D.C. Metrobus that led to deadly collision". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Stone, Shomari; Collins, Pat; Jones, Erica. "Video Shows Bus Hijacker Arrest After Hitting, Killing Man". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Wagner, Paul (3 May 2016). "Metrobus hijacked in northeast DC; pedestrian struck and killed". FOX 5 DC. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "Video Shows Man Attack Metrobus Driver Before Deadly Crash". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved 16 May 2020.