Flxible Metro-B 9343
Location: Friendship Heights Station, Chevy Chase, MD
Operator of Vehicle: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Date of Photo: May 29, 2007
When WMATA was established in 1967, it was envisioned as solely being an operator of the rail system that was in the planning and construction phases at that time. However, it soon became apparent that the best way to feed bus passengers into the rail system would be if WMATA operated said buses as well. In February 1973, WMATA acquired the four private bus companies that formed the basis of what is now known as Metrobus. These were the Alexandria Barcoft & Washington Transit Company (AB&W), DC Transit, Washington Marlboro & Annapolis Motor Lines (WM&A), and the Washington, Virginia and Maryland Coach Company (WV&M). Although it has been 50 years since Metrobus was created, in some ways, not much has changed. For example, the seemingly complicated way in which Metrobus routes are designated (i.e. 54, J2, 1B) is largely dependent on which private company operated it in 1973 and if it was a streetcar in 1936. WMATA has created new routes since then but has largely kept this scheme in place when creating new designations. In 2022, WMATA announced the launch of “Better Bus” which is the first comprehensive full Metrobus network redesign since the 1973 takeover of the private operators, so perhaps some or much of this will change in the coming years.
In 1998 when Metrobus celebrated its 25th anniversary, WMATA painted one of its buses, Flxible Metro-B 9343, silver to commemorate the occasion. Throughout the year, if one was lucky enough to catch the silver bus, the ride was only 25 cents instead of the standard fare. The bus remained silver after the anniversary year was over, though it was ultimately repainted in the “Fourth Scheme”, as seen in this picture.
WMATA has dropped hints that the 50th anniversary of Metrobus will be commemorated in some way, but we are still waiting to learn what that might look like, so stay tuned!
For more photos of WMATA’s Flxible Metro-B buses, please click here.