District Department of Transportation — Bus Priority Plan and Bus Priority Toolbox

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Washington, D.C.’s District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Bus Priority Plan provides recommendations for improving bus speeds and reliability. To identify bus priority projects, DDOT is using a data-driven process to identify areas with greatest needs; engaging with communities to tailor improvements and pulling strategies from DDOT’s Bus Priority Toolbox.

The Bus Priority Toolbox lays out 24 treatments spanning five areas: bus operations, traffic control, bus stop infrastructure, bus lanes, bike and bus treatments. Many of the treatments included in the Bus Priority Plan are similar to those outlined in Metro’s Transfer Design Guide, but DDOT is implementing several strategies that Metro could consider, including: bus stop rebalancing, cross hatching in front of stops to minimize illegal parking and loading, bike-pedestrian mixing platforms and floating bus islands. For each strategy, the toolbox provides a high-level description, examples, benefits and typical applications.

DDOT identified a bus priority network consisting of over 70 miles of corridors with high ridership. DDOT used ridership statistics, resident and stakeholder feedback and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA’s) Priority Corridor Network to identify corridors. DDOT also used forecasted population, housing and employment data to identify future growth corridors. DDOT created a project pipeline, which lays out a total of 51 near-term, mid-term and long-term bus priority projects, each of which are approximately one to two miles in length. To prioritize areas with the greatest need for improvement, DDOT looked at metrics for transit performance (passenger delay and bus delay), equity (persons with disabilities, people of color, low-income households, low-wage jobs within a quarter mile of corridor), safety (identifying overlap with Vision Zero high-injury network) and land use (near-term population and employment growth within a quarter mile of corridor). DDOT applied greater weighting to transit performance (60%) and equity metrics (30%).

In 2013, WMATA completed an On-Street Bus Terminal Study. This effort looked at 11 bus terminal locations and evaluated the adequacy of the amenities. WMATA characterizes bus stops into a hierarchy of three classes: basic stop, enhanced service stop and transit center. The classification is based on ridership and certain amenities are required for each level. The document notes that DDOT owns Metrobus shelters within DC, and at the time of the publication, Clear Channel Communications provided the shelters through a contract with DDOT. DDOT’s contract with Clear Channel included requirements such as lighting and electrical power at all shelters. It is not totally clear how DDOT and WMATA interact, but the plan mentions a few instances of coordination between DDOT and WMATA to replace bus stops. WMATA also has Bus Stop Guidelines (2009) that establish the hierarchy of improvements mentioned in the 2013 study above. Additionally, WMATA’s Priority Corridor Network Plan (2011) established a strategy for improving bus service in the region, including updates to passenger facility amenities.

View Toolbox

This tool is best used on desktops and laptops.

Step 2: Add your amenities to your bus stop

  • Click the “Amenity Library” button to open the Library:
    • Scroll through the Amenity Library on the right to drag and drop your chosen amenities or use the “Add” button.
    • You can add, move, rotate, scale, and delete any amenity. You can also add as many as you like.
    • NOTE: All amenities may not be appropriate for all sidewalk widths. Consider amenities like the Lean Bar for narrower sidewalks, whereas amenities such as Shelters are more appropriate for wider sidewalks.


Step 3: Save your design

  • Choose the “Finalize & Save” button, then fill out the brief Contact Form.
    • You’ll then be taken to a unique link to your design; keep it on file for viewing later at any time.

Using the Builder to design your bus stop

This tool is best used on desktops and laptops, and when the background image you choose below is viewed straight on

Step 1: Find your background image

  • via the map below on the left, you can go to the bus stop you wish to design, then drag the gold Google “Pegman” (in the map below, lower right corner) to where your bus stop is on the map, or
  • via the “Upload Background” button, you can upload an image of the bus stop from your local device (it works best if your image is square), then you’ll be taken to Step 2 right away, or
  • you can type in an address or street corner and city via the search field, then click the “Search” button and then drag the gold Google “Pegman” (in the map below, lower right corner) to the red location Pin.


NOTES: It’s possible Google hasn’t created a Street View for some bus stops. If this is the case for the bus stop you want to add amenities to, you may want to consider taking a smartphone photo of that bus stop and uploading it here via the “Upload Background” button (crop your image square). Per Google Street Map View compliance rules, it is not possible to edit the lighting or shading of a Google Street View background, so choose thoughtfully or upload your own image.

Once you have your chosen bus stop background on the right, select the “Design Bus Stop” button to go to the next screen to then add amenities.