Washington has an outstanding public transportation system. Buses run all throughout the city and surrounding areas of Virginia and Maryland, and the Metro system is one of the cleanest in the country. It's not a difficult system to master, but it does take a few tries until new riders completely get into the swing of things. Here are a few tips to get both new and veteran AU students up to speed.
General tips
-Use the Metro Web site at www.wmata.com. The trip planner on the home page is a great way to find out the fastest way to get from campus to your destination. Put 4400 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. in the "from" box if you're willing to take a bus; use "Tenleytown" if you'd rather take the Metro. The Web site will also give you the latest information about any delays or changes to Metro rail or bus service.
-Get a SmarTrip card ($5). You can buy them online through the Metro Web site or at certain Metro stations, including all stations that have parking. The SmarTrip cards store up to $300 in value, save time when going through Metro stations, keep track of bus transfers and can be replaced for a $5 fee if you register the card before you lose it.
-Give up seats to those who need them. These people include the handicapped, elderly and pregnant women. Some seats are specifically reserved for those people should they need a seat.
-Eating and drinking on the Metro is prohibited. You can probably get away with drinking something that has a lid, but if a Metro employee catches you, he or she can give you a pretty hefty fine. In fact, a Transit Police officer arrested a woman in 2004 for finishing her candy bar in the Metro. Metro stays so clean because of the food ban, and the Transit Police mean business, so wait until you get off the train to start eating your sandwich.
Metrorail
-Be aware of Metro's hours. Metrorail opens at 5 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends. It closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday and at 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday. (This doesn't necessarily mean that is the earliest or latest time a train leaves a particular station. Check signs.) If you miss these hours, you'll have to walk or take a cab unless you manage to catch a bus.
-Metro fares vary depending on how far you go and what time you go. Save money by avoiding line transfers and "regular fare" hours, which are opening to 9:30 a.m., 3-7 p.m. and 2 a.m. to closing. The distance from Tenleytown to Friendship Heights is walkable.
-Add 10-15 minutes to your travel time to take the shuttle from campus to Tenleytown. Count on more time during rush hour, which on the AU shuttle is around 7:45 a.m. to 9:30 am and 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. during the week, plus 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights. Expect longer waits on the weekends, particularly at night.
-Make sure you're traveling in the right direction. From the Tenleytown station, travel toward Shady Grove to go to Friendship Heights or Bethesda and head toward Glenmont to go to Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan or anywhere downtown. Signs in the stations will indicate which way to travel to reach a certain station.
-Make sure you know which exit to take. Most Metro stations have more than one exit and some major ones, like Metro Center and Gallery Place-Chinatown, have three or more.
-When riding the escalators, stand to the right and walk to the left. People will ask you to move if you stand on the left. Sometimes they won't be very polite about it.
-Metrorail fare card machines only give change in quarters. Keep this in mind if you want to get a small fare card with a large bill.
-If you don't get a seat, hold on. Experienced riders can learn to "Metro surf" and keep their balance on a moving train, but new riders will probably take a tumble when the car speeds up to leave a station or slows down to enter one.
Metrobus
-Metrobus fare is $1.25 no matter how far you travel. If you get on a bus again within two hours you can use a transfer and avoid paying again. A SmarTrip card will keep track of the transfer for you; ask a driver for a transfer when you get on the first bus if you're paying with cash.
-You can't get change on a Metrobus. Have exact change if you're going to use cash.
-There are several bus stops near campus. There are two on Massachusetts Avenue behind Kay Spiritual Life Center and in front of the Katzen Arts Building, and two are on Nebraska Avenue behind the Ward Building and in front of the Nebraska parking lot.
-Make sure you're standing on the correct side of the street for the direction you're traveling. To go downtown from campus, stand at the bus stop behind Kay. To go to Georgetown from Tenleytown, stand on the same side of the street as Best Buy and the Container Store.
-Pull the hanging yellow cord to indicate to the driver that you'd like to get off. He or she will stop and let you off as soon as it's safe to pull over.
-Metrobus is the fastest way to get to Georgetown. Take the shuttle to Tenleytown and walk to a bus stop. Hop on a 30, 32, 34, 35 or 36 bus to get to Georgetown. Make sure to check the timetable online to plan your return trip; buses run every 20 minutes before midnight on Saturday evenings and every half an hour after midnight.
Other useful Web sites
-www.hopstop.com. This Web site has maps, walking directions and ratings of the different Metro lines and allows you to choose whether you'd like more transfers and less walking or more walking and fewer transfers.
