‘F6 Bus Stop’
courtesy of ‘justgrimes’

It’s July 1st, the day we’ve all been waiting for!  Not only is tonight our first anniversary party (which you should plan to attend, because I hear a certain Metro pylon hat might be there to celebrate), it’s also the day that NextBus finally re-launches here in DC.   You just need a cell phone or an internet connection, and you’ll finally have an answer to the question of whether you have time to grab a coffee before the bus comes.

Here’s how it works.  If you’re like me and you don’t have a web-enabled phone, just call 202-637-7000, and enter your bus stop number shown on the circular NextBus sign.  Update: Or, you can send a text message with your information and get your response via text (thanks, TransitNut!).   If you have web access, simply click on the link from WMATA’s website and you’ll get the estimated arrival times for the next buses serving that bus stop.  You can even bookmark the page, so you’ll have an easy way to tell when the next bus is coming!

I used NextBus this morning and it was spot-on.  I could leave my house a couple minutes later than I usually do, and I still got to work early because I cut down on all that waiting time.  Have you tried NextBus yet?  Let us know how it’s working in the comments.

Shannon grew up in the greater DC area/Maryland suburbs, went to Virginia for college and grad school (go Hoos!), and settled in DC in 2006. She’s an urban planner who loves transit (why yes, that is her dressed as a Metro pylon for Halloween), cities, and all things DC. Email her at Shannon (at) WeLoveDC.com!