Category Archives: Bus Photo of the Month

Bus Photo of the Month: June 2025

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New Flyer XDE 7150

Location: Connecticut Avenue, NW at Porter Street, NW, Washington, DC
Operator of Vehicle: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Date of Photo: May 30, 2025

Could this be the last photo I take of my first “home route”?  It is certainly possible.  As I wrote three years ago, a home route is the route that goes by where you live and therefore take at the start or end of most trips.  For many people, their first home route isn’t one they can necessarily choose, as infants or toddlers have no agency in deciding where to live.  This was certainly the case for me, as my parents lived right at the Van Ness Metro when I was born and we remained there until April 1992.  It was my home route again from November 2017 through November 2023.  

In just a few weeks on June 29, WMATA will launch its redesigned bus network.  For the first time since WMATA’s inception over 50 years ago and when it acquired four formerly private bus operators under the Metrobus umbrella, the DC area bus system is being entirely redrawn to meet the needs of today’s traveling public.  I won’t comment about what I think of some of the changes that will be taking effect at the end of this month, but if you really want to sleuth, they are part of the public hearing record leading up to the Board of Directors approving the redesigned network.  And the new Connecticut Avenue bus, the D70, isn’t going to be all that different than what the L2 does today (though arguably it will have more in common with the old L4 route that hasn’t operated in over a decade).  But this is the end of what I considered to be the first bus I regularly relied on, even if I was a very young child at the time.

Despite all the fretting in advance of these network redesigns, especially with regards to changed route numbers, people end up adjusting.  I lived in Jerusalem when that city’s Route 4 was renumbered to be Route 77 in 2014.  The 4 had been the 4 for longer than the State of Israel had existed at the time.  There was a feeling of “how could such a historic bus route have its number changed?”  But the change went through as planned, people have adapted to the new route number, and I don’t think most Jerusalemites even know where the now current Route 4 operates.  I expect the same to happen in Washington DC.  

For more photos of the WMATA New Flyer XDE40 Buses, please click here.  

Bus Photo of the Month: May 2025

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Gillig Phantom 5409

Location: Montgomery Mall, Bethesda, MD
Operator of Vehicle: Ride On Montgomery County Transit
Date of Photo: July 1, 2003

Eagle eyed observers will notice this is the second Ride On Bus Photo of the Month in as many months, but Ride On is marking a significant milestone right now and therefore it seems worthy of a “repeat” feature.  This month, Ride On is hosting an event to celebrate its 50th anniversary.  The service began in March of 1975 with just two routes serving Silver Spring and Takoma Park.  Ridership almost immediately exceeded projections.  Since then, Ride On has grown to a system of over 80 routes and approximately 350 buses.  

In 2000 to mark its 25th anniversary, Ride On painted two buses silver and anyone who happened to catch one of those buses only had to pay 25 cents to ride instead of the standard fare.  Even after the 25th anniversary promotion ended, the buses would keep their celebratory paint schemes until their retirement.  Ride On would also decorate buses for its 40th anniversary, but there was no special fare promotion associated with them.  

For more photos of the Ride On Gillig Phantoms, please click here.  

Bus Photo of the Month: April 2025

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Photos of the Month are back following parental leave here at Oren’s Transit Page headquarters!  

Orion VII/CNG 5957

Location: Shady Grove Station, Derwood, MD
Operator of Vehicle: Ride On Montgomery County Transit
Date of Photo: March 20, 2009

To go along with yesterday’s post, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight a bus photo from Shady Grove Station.  Shady Grove is definitely a place for bus fans to camp out during rush hours, as the bus bays on the east side of the station are quite busy.  Back in the days when the Ride On fleet was more diverse than it currently is (at present, the fleet is entirely made up of Gillig low floors with the exception of the NOVABus LFSA fleet for the FLASH service on US 29), this was where one would go with the hope of catching one of the “oddballs” in Ride On’s fleet, such as the Flxible Metro-Ds or Orion VI/CNGs.  The only question was which route the bus you were seeking would show up on.  Outside of peak periods, this terminal can be a bit quiet, as many of the routes that serve it only operate during rush hours, but when it is hopping it is a great place for spotting.

My favorite route out of this terminal is the 90, which goes from Shady Grove to the community of Damascus.  This is a great ride, especially with a leadfooted driver.  For much of the trip, it is hard to believe you are still in Montgomery County!  During the midday hours, the bus continues to Milestone, providing connections to other routes to complete your round trip.  During peak periods, the bus terminates in Damascus so one has to come back the way you came.

For more photos of the Ride On Orion VII/CNGs, please click here.  

Bus Photo of the Month: January 2025

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NABI 42-BRT CNG F2222

Location: 1st Street at Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA
Operator of Vehicle: Foothill Transit
Date of Photo: March 10, 2022

There are many different transportation providers in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.  While the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, better known as “Metro”, probably comes to mind first for many, there are about 20 other bus systems operating within Los Angeles County.  (Los Angeles County is not coterminous with the City of Los Angeles, there are 87 other incorporated cities within the county).  One of these other transit providers in this portion of southern California is Foothill Transit. 

Foothill Transit operates in 22 of the incorporated cities in Los Angeles County, mostly in the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys in eastern Los Angeles County.  The system’s two bus yards are located in Pomona and Arcadia, while the administrative headquarters are located in West Covina.  The agency has over 350 buses serving 37 routes, though actual operations are carried out by Keolis at the Pomona Yard and by Transdev at the Arcadia Yard. 

The most notable aspect of Foothill Transit’s fleet is how the agency began moving to alternative fuels earlier than most other transit agencies.  Foothill Transit began operating compress natural gas buses, such as the one pictured here, in 2002 and retired its last diesel buses in 2013.  In 2010, Foothill became the first agency to operate an electric bus manufactured by Proterra.  Foothill Transit acquired two electric double decker buses from UK manufacturer Alexander Dennis in 2021.  That same year, Foothill Transit ordered 33 XHE40 hydrogen fuel cell buses from New Flyer; these buses entered service in 2022.

For more photos of Foothill Transit, please click here.  

Bus Photo of the Month: December 2024

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New Flyer XD40 2124

Location: Duke Ellington Bridge, Washington, DC
Operator of Vehicle: District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
Date of Photo: May 4, 2020

At the end of this month, the DC Circulator will cease operations after nearly 20 years of operation.  The service was started in July 2006 on two routes, with the goal of creating an “simple” and “easily navigable” bus system to supplement the existing Metrobus network.  In order to meet these goals, bus routes operated every 10 minutes around the clock on routes that connected major destinations around Downtown DC.  The system grew, often as select Metrobus routes were converted to Circulator operation to take advantage of lower subsidies and operating costs.  A National Mall route was also established following the discontinuation of the Tourmobile service that held the exclusive rights to offer guided tours within that area under a contract with the National Park Service.  

The discontinuation of the service can be attributed to several reasons.  Ridership has not rebounded since the Covid-19 pandemic, but arguably, many Circulator routes do not warrant 10 minute headways from early morning until late night (or 3 AM in the case of select routes on Friday and Saturday nights).  However, changing the headways was considered to be a non-starter on account of wanting the service to remain “simple.”  Furthermore, DDOT wished to have all eight wards of the city served by at least one route, a goal that was never achieved, but some wards simply do not have any activity generators that would warrant the level of service the Circulator committed to providing on all of its routes.

Service is currently running on 20 minute headways on five routes through December 31, 2024.  After that date, RATP DEV, which is the contracted operator for the service, will commence its final wind down procedures, such that the contract can be fully cancelled by March 2025.  

Have you ever taken the DC Circulator?

For more photos of the DC Circulator , please click here.  

Bus Photo of the Month: November 2024

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New Flyer XDE40 13013

Location: Charles Street at Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD
Operator of Vehicle: MDOT MTA
Date of Photo: November 25, 2018

This Tuesday is Election Day in the United States, and many transit systems will be offering free rides in order to facilitate getting to polling places so constituents can cast their votes.  I’ve seen notices of various agencies providing fare free travel on Election Day in recent years, including Minneapolis in 2014.  Other systems that I am aware of providing fare free travel on Election Day include Ride On, the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, LA Metro, CapMetro, Knoxville Area Transit, Denver RTD, and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.  

Are you aware of other US transit systems that are offering free transit on Election Day?  Does this practice exist in other countries?  Leave a comment if you know the answer to either question.

For more photos of MDOT MTA Core Bus Services, please click here.  

Bus Photo of the Month: October 2024

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Gillig Advantage 4058

Location: Rockville Pike near Wooton Parkway, Rockville, MD
Operator of Vehicle: Ride On (Montgomery County Transit)
Date of Photo: June 21, 2024

Today marks the seventh anniversary of the launch of Ride On Extra in Montgomery County, Maryland.  Ride On Extra is the branded service for Ride On’s “premium” bus routes.  The first route to operate under this banner is Route 101, a limited stop service along MD 355 between Lakeforest and Medical Center.  The trip time on the 101, both advertised and actual, is noticeably shorter than the underlying local service on routes 46 and 55, and depending on the circumstances, can even give the parallel Red Line a run for its money.

Last month, Ride On launched the first two routes of the Great Seneca Transit Network (GTSN), a series of improvements to the transit service in the “Great Seneca Science Corridor”, an area that includes locations such as the Shady Grove Metro, Shady Grove Hospital, Universities at Shady Grove, the Rio Center, and Kentlands.  These two routes have colored names, Lime and Pink; I believe this is to go along with the colored names that are also being used for the “Flash BRT” service that Ride On operates in the Route 29 corridor and will introduce to other corridors in the future.  Unlike the 101, the Lime and Pink operate seven days a week with service frequencies varying between 15 and 30 minutes depending upon the day of the week and time of day.  

Ride On is also engaged in the “Ride On Reimagined” project, which is a network redesign project that may introduce more Ride On Extra routes in the future as well.  It will definitely be interesting to see how Ride On Extra, in conjunction with the Flash BRT and other improvements, will change the transit landscape in Montgomery County.  

For more photos of Ride On’s Gillig Advantage 40 foot buses, please click here.  

Bus Photo of the Month: August 2024

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Orion V 9641

Location: Friendship Heights Station, Chevy Chase, MD
Operator of Vehicle: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Date of Photo: June 2000

Since I went way back in the past for the Rail Photo of the Month for August 2024 and chose a photo taken using film from the early days of this website, I thought I would do the same for the Bus Photo of the Month.  There most of what you see in this photo or in the surrounding area has changed in the ensuing 24 years, except for the bus terminal itself.  For starters, the 36 was extended to Naylor Road Station when it opened on January 13, 2001, and was ultimately truncated to Foggy Bottom in August of 2014.  The 1992 Orion V buses would be retired in the early 2000s, though newer Orion Vs would remain in WMATA’s fleet until 2019.

The shopping center seen behind the bus has been renovated twice since this photo was taken.  Although not visible in this photo, Mazza Gallerie was behind and to the left of where I was standing until it was demolished in 2023 to be redeveloped.  What was then a Hecht’s department store was directly to my left when this photo was taken, closed in 2005, and has since been redeveloped into the Shops at Wisconsin Place.  Other projects have also taken place or are ongoing in the general vicinity of the Friendship Heights station.  

Perhaps it also goes without mention, but photography technology has improved significantly since I took this photo, digital photography has been accessible to nearly everyone for many years now, and I’d like to think my photography skills have improved since I took this picture.  What do you think?

For more photos of WMATA’s 1992 Orion V Buses, please click here.  

Bus Photo of the Month: July 2024

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New Flyer C40LF C-27

Location: Grand Canyon Visitors Center, Grand Canyon Village, Arizona
Operator of Vehicle: Paul Revere Transportation, L.L.C.
Date of Photo: August 20, 2019

If I were to ask you what entity in the United States operated nearly 800 transit vehicles carrying over 26.6 million passengers during 2022, would you think of the National Park Service?  The National Park Service operates transit services for a variety of reasons at many of its facilities across the country, such as to provide mobility to or within a park or for interpretive tours.  These services are provided through a combination of concession contracts, service contracts, or cooperative agreements.

The South Rim Shuttle Service at the Grand Canyon provides transportation to and within one of the most visited NPS units in the entire country.  The fleet of about 30 CNG powered buses is owned by the National Park Service and the actual operation is managed and run by Boston based Paul Revere Transportation, L.L.C. under a contract that currently runs through November 2030.  The South Rim Shuttle Service has been in operation since 1974 and prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, approximately 7.5 million people used the shuttle buses each year.  In 2022, there were over 4.4 million boardings, making it the third busiest “transit system” in the National Park Service’s portfolio.  The NPS transit services carried nearly 46 million passengers in 2019 prior to the pandemic, so like many other transit systems in the United States and around the world, ridership is still recovering from the impact of Covid.  

Have you been on any of the 80-plus transit systems within the National Park Service’s inventory?  If you aren’t sure, you can see the complete list of systems and their characteristics in Appendix D (starting on page 45) of the 2022 NPS National Inventory System List.

For more photos of shuttle buses at the Grand Canyon, please click here.  

Bus Photo of the Month: June 2024

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Mercedes-Benz O530G Citaro

Location: Trafalgar Square, London
Operator of Vehicle: Transport for London
Date of Photo: May 21, 2008

Articulated buses (or “Bendy Buses in British English) are common in many large cities across the globe, but not so much in the United Kingdom.  London’s brief period of running such buses began on June 2, 2002 and did not even last a whole decade.  Articulated buses were not permitted to operate in the UK until 1980 due to their length, though an exception to this rule was granted for a few trials of articulated buses from MAN and Leyland in 1979.  South Yorkshire Transport ordered 13 articulated buses from Leyland in 1985 and Grampian Regional Transport received a single Mercedes-Benz O405G in 1992, but bus operators wouldn’t really order any articulated buses in large numbers until near the turn of the 21st century when accessible low floor models became available.  

London transport companies were interested in articulated buses since they could carry more people than a double decker bus (albeit with more standees and fewer seats) and unlike the iconic Routemasters, they were handicapped accessible.  However, it was not long after these buses entered service that criticisms began to mount.  Due to their length, they sometimes blocked intersections and motorcyclists and bicycle riders disliked the larger blind spots that the longer buses had.  Engine fires in 2003 and 2004 only turned the public against the bendy buses even more.  In 2008, Boris Johnson’s mayoral campaign included a pledge to phase out articulated buses from London’s fleet as soon as their operating contracts expired.  Following his election, this happened as proposed, and the “New Routemaster” entered service in 2012.  The last articulated bus trips in London occurred on December 9, 2011.  At its peak, the articulated bus fleet in London consisted of just under 400 vehicles.

Following their withdrawal from service, the articulated buses were transferred to other parts of the UK, including Leicester, Liverpool, Brighton, and Hove.  Some were even transferred to an Arriva subsidiary in Malta.  

For more photos of London’s articulated Mercedes-Benz O530G Citaro buses, please click here.