for the Better Bus Network campaign
through outreach with community members
to gather local feedback
Developed a comprehensive branding identity and campaign for Metro, including web, print, and social assets as well as interactive elements
Served as trusted advisors to Metro throughout the complex bus network redesign process by forming and maintaining relationships with technical and community stakeholders across the region
Helped Metro gather feedback from underserved populations across the greater DC community to understand how to better reach their locations and serve their transportation needs
The transit system for the District of Columbia, run by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, or Metro, is an integral part of the district’s transportation infrastructure and provides more than 500,000 bus trips every day. Because of Washington, DC’s unique transit geography, Metro has been planning to build a new bus network that better serves travel patterns, demographics, and growth developments—and the 50-year anniversary of the Metrobus system was the perfect time for that update.
Kimley-Horn was selected as the lead consultant to support Metro in this bus network redesign due to our transit team’s rich experiences in service planning and stakeholder engagement. By launching the Better Bus Network Redesign to collect customer and community feedback, analyze data, and integrate these inputs into the new bus network, we developed a redesign that will offer Metrobus customers more reliable, user-friendly, and equitable transportation opportunities, particularly for underserved populations.
The Better Bus Network Redesign is the region’s first comprehensive overhaul of Metro’s bus network since 1973 and required a thorough assessment of services and robust plan for implementing changes. We first prepared a financial analysis to display a high-level view of each jurisdiction’s contribution to total bus transit costs and redefine the way jurisdictions pay for bus service. We also completed strategic planning for the network redesign’s vision, goals, and objectives. Our team collaborated with Foursquare ITP, and Cambridge Systematics on the service design, analysis, and narrative framework development for the new network.
Our team played a crucial role in developing and executing Metro’s customer communication and outreach program. As creative content lead, we developed the initial brand and strategy for over 90 multimedia content assets aimed to drive community participation in the redesign process, with the help of partners Foursquare ITP and NeoNiche Strategies. This included social media calendars, a micro-website, animated videos and video scripts, print collateral, and e-newsletters garnering tens of thousands of clicks. We also implemented experiential design by creating tent-like walls for public forums where attendees could write their comments. By setting the creative direction, our team showcased our ability to think beyond traditional planning and engineering. In fact, we developed a unique branded series called “Better Bus Heroes” that resonated so well with Metro that they are using it in other campaigns beyond the network redesign.
Through this engagement process, Kimley-Horn used our interactive mapping tool, PublicCoordinate, to streamline efforts for the community to provide feedback on the proposed bus network. With this accessible online software, both the public and stakeholders were able to explore the network, compare the projected changes to the existing routes, and provide their thoughts.
Public outreach and stakeholder coordination were essential to address the needs of the District’s various communities and develop partners for the Better Bus Network Redesign. With Kimley-Horn’s support, Metro engaged more than 20,000 members of the public, stakeholders, and employees to gather feedback on implementing alternative bus routes that would better serve communities of color, individuals with disabilities, and those with limited English proficiency. We assisted in holding 63 public outreach events in a 62-day period, including interactive workshops, roadshow pop-ups, bus ride-alongs, and Lunch & Learn webinars. More than 20% of our conversations and collected comments were in languages other than English—a direct result of providing multilingual materials.
Throughout the engagement period, we led efforts to reach key technical stakeholders, elected officials, and more to facilitate their partnership. To accomplish this, we held events with regional organizations, conducted youth outreach, and engaged local committees. We also directed employee engagement efforts, gathering feedback from Metrobus operators and other Metro staff.
With Kimley-Horn’s partnership, the Better Bus Network Redesign engaged more than 20,000 DC community members to help support transportation equity in the first phase of the project. Receiving direction from Metro throughout the process, we adapted to the ever-evolving needs of the project and met their condensed 18-month schedule to complete the network redesign.
The network design is currently in progress and is projected to be implemented in the summer of 2025. As of November 2024, Metro’s Board of Directors voted to approve the Better Bus Network Redesign, which will create a user-friendly and equitable network that better aligns with what DC riders need. To see the latest on the Better Bus Network Redesign, please visit Metro’s website.
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