Wisconsin Avenue Line

The Wisconsin Avenue Line, designated as Routes 31 or 33, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Its main purpose is to provide service to the upper Northwest side via Wisconsin Avenue NW.

Routes 31 and 33 operate between the Friendship Heights station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro and Potomac Park (31) or Federal Triangle (33), running every 10 to 12 minutes between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays. In addition, Route 33 operates on weekends every 10 minutes during the day and 15 - 20 minutes after 9 p.m. daily; its late-night and early-morning trips extending to L'Enfant Plaza station of the Blue, Orange, Silver, Green and Yellow Lines of the Washington Metro. Route 31 trips are roughly 45 minutes long, while Route 33 trips are 55 minutes long.

The routes operate out of WMATA's Western division, which uses New Flyer D40LFR, DE40LFA, and XDE40 buses.

Route 31 stops


Route 33 stops


History
The 30 series line is one of the oldest operating routes in the city, tracing its origin to streetcar lines and the Washington and Georgetown Railroad in the 1860s. Buses began to operate on the line in 1936. Today, it is one of the most-ridden bus lines in D.C., serving more than 20,000 passengers a day in 2008.

The five routes, 30, 32, 34, 35, and 36, begin their journey at Friendship Heights station and end at Potomac Avenue station (30), Southern Avenue station (32), or Naylor Road station (34, 35, and 36).

In 2008, WMATA launched a study on the Pennsylvania Avenue line to improve services and to reduce delays and bus bunchings.

Route 31
Route 31 was introduced on June 29, 2008, dubbed as a "neighborhood connector" as part of an overhaul of the busy Pennsylvania Avenue Line. Route 31 connects Friendship Heights station to Potomac Park to provide help to routes 32 and 36 along Wisconsin Avenue and replace routes 30, 34, and 35.

Route 33
As part of proposals from 2013 to simplify the Wisconsin Avenue Line again, route 33 was introduced on August 24, 2014 to replace the 32 and 36 portion along Wisconsin Avenue and to provide extra service to the 31, and the newly introduced Friendship Heights–Southeast Line or routes 30N and 30S. Route 33 provides more service between Friendship Heights station and Federal Triangle to help out the 30N, 30S, and 31. Routes 32 and 36 were shorten to Potomac Park being replaced by routes 30N, 30S, 31, and 33.

Changes
During the COVID-19 pandemic, routes 31 and 33 operated on their Saturday supplemental schedule during the weekdays beginning on March 16, 2020. On March 18, 2020, the line was further reduced to operate on its Sunday schedule. Weekend service was later suspended on March 21, 2020 being replaced by Routes 30N and 30S. On August 23, 2020, routes 31 and 33 restored its regular schedule but Route 31 weekend service was suspended being replaced by Route 33.

On September 26, 2020, WMATA proposed to eliminate all route 31 weekend service and add route 33 trips due to low federal funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Weekday service will not change.

On September 5, 2021, the line was increased to operate every 12 minutes daily.

On May 29, 2022, all late-night route 33 service was extended to terminate at L'Enfant Plaza station via 7th Street.

Incidents

 * On June 3, 2022, a man was stabbed aboard a 33 bus along Wisconsin Avenue near Newark Street NW. He was taken to the hospital in serious condition. The suspect fled the scene.