Public Transport in Washington DC 2026 — WMATA Metro, Buses, SmarTrip Card and Getting Around the US Capital

Public Transport in Washington DC 2026

Washington DC has one of the United States' best public transport systems — the WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) Metro is modern, clean, and covers the District plus major suburban nodes in Virginia (Arlington, Alexandria, Tysons, Reston) and Maryland (Bethesda, Silver Spring, Greenbelt). Combined with the DC Circulator bus and WMATA Metrobus, car-free living in central DC is entirely feasible. This guide covers public transport in Washington DC in 2026.

WMATA Metro

• 6 Metro lines: Red, Orange, Blue, Silver, Green, Yellow; 98 stations covering DC, Northern Virginia (including Reagan National Airport on the Blue/Yellow), and inner suburban Maryland
• Major DC transfer stations: Metro Center (Red/Orange/Blue/Silver), Gallery Place-Chinatown (Green/Yellow/Red), L'Enfant Plaza (Blue/Orange/Silver/Green/Yellow), Union Station (Red)
• Fare: Peak fare approximately $2.25-$6.00 depending on distance; off-peak lower; SmarTrip card required for rail (cannot use cash at rail fare gates)
• Operating hours: Monday-Thursday 5am-11pm; Friday 5am-1am; Saturday 7am-1am; Sunday 7am-11pm

SmarTrip Card — DC's Transit Card

• The SmarTrip card is WMATA's reloadable contactless card; required for Metro fare gates (no cash); also accepted on Metrobus and DC Circulator
• Available at all Metro station fare machines; also via SmarTrip app (load on mobile phone NFC)
• Weekly/monthly passes available loaded onto SmarTrip

DC Circulator Bus

• DC Circulator is a low-cost ($1 flat fare) bus network connecting popular DC destinations including Mall/Memorials, Georgetown, Eastern Market, and Adams Morgan; SmarTrip accepted

Airport Transit from DC

• Reagan National (DCA): Metro Yellow/Blue Line, Crystal City/Reagan National station: ~15 min to Metro Center; very convenient
• Dulles (IAD): Silver Line Metro to Dulles Airport (Dulles Airport station): approximately 70 minutes from DC; approximately $6.75 fare
• BWI (Baltimore): MARC Train from Union Station: approximately 30-45 minutes; Amtrak also available (faster)

This article was compiled by AI and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.