and now with the rate increase, it's even cheaper to drive downtown. Not to mention it's usually faster than Metro during rush hour. I live in Alexandria, near Landmark mall. For me to take the bus to the Pentagon Rail station, the time it takes i could have just driven downtown to McPherson Sq, not to mention the rail ride, and transfer.

 

thanks for the reply. I also live near Landmakr Mall. 236 and braddock road.

yes, it's unfortunate that is less expensive to drive and pay for parking. Also, I can get downtown in the HOV in about 20 minutes vs. over an hour for the bus, metro and then walk to the office.

 

The metro hike will impact metro ridership and ultimately traffic. Earlier this week my wife and I had to go different directions and car #2 was down for maintenance. I tried to bus to the metro and metro in. According to metroopensdoors.com, the bus was supposed to be at my stop at 6:42--so I was there at 6:30 just in case...at 7:30, I was still standing there. Luckily a neighbor drove by and gave me a ride to Springfield metro station. All in all, my commute that day was over two hours and should have cost $8.80 (thanks to the ride, I saved a couple of bucks). Tack parking on that it would have been another $4.00.

For the life of me, I can't understand why it costs so much. You'd think that with the ridership that metro sees, that advertising would be an easy way to offset costs. The only ads I see are for schools and museums or PSA's

 

You don't see those signs on the sides of busses? Or in the metro stations, or in the trains?

But yeah, the busses are usually late because the schedule doesn't take into account the traffic. You'd think after 30+ years they'd figure it out.

 

I've seen them, but they've usually been for tv channels or radio stations--or colleges. otherwise the ads I've seen on busses are the "Steel vs. skin" ads about not running into traffic.

I've always heard that because metro is federally run they can't accept ads...I could be totally wrong. If they can, why don't they fill up everyone of those rectangular impressions inside metro stations with a 3x5 ad?

 

well, i've seen goverment contractors, condos, apartments, and VA lotto ads too. i think they're very strict on what they run, but they do run them.