Ardwick Industrial Park Shuttle Line
| Company type | Bus route |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1978-12-03 |
| Defunct | 2025-06-29 |
| Fate | Merged into TheBus Route P44 |
Area served | Prince George's County, Maryland |
| Parent | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |
The Ardwick Industrial Park Shuttle Line (Route F12) was a weekday-exclusive bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, linking New Carrollton station and Cheverly station on the Silver and Orange Lines. The service ran at intervals of approximately 35 to 37 minutes during peak periods and hourly during off-peak times, offering roughly 30-minute trips primarily serving industrial and office park areas within Prince George's County.
Background
Functioning only on weekdays, Route F12 connected New Carrollton station with Cheverly station, with its buses managed from the Landover division. Prior to 1989, the Southern Avenue division was responsible for this route.
History
WMATA introduced Route F12 on December 3, 1978, coinciding with the inaugurations of New Carrollton station and Landover station. The weekday service operated between these stations via Ardwick Industrial Park, covering principal thoroughfares such as Garden City Drive and Pennsy Drive. Additionally, the route featured a loop serving Metro East Office Park just after departing New Carrollton.
On December 11, 1993, Route F12 was extended beyond Landover to reach Cheverly station, effectively replacing a portion of the eliminated Route F3 that previously connected Cheverly with the Columbia Park subdivision. This extension incorporated major routes including Old Landover Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Highway.
In February 2020, WMATA proposed eliminating Route F12 in its fiscal year 2021 budget due to low ridership figures; however, this proposal was later retracted.
Service on Route F12 was halted starting March 18, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Operations resumed on August 23, 2020, albeit with reduced frequency, before returning to full service on September 5, 2021.
On December 17, 2023, Route F13 was rerouted along Forbes Boulevard and Business Parkway for all trips, discontinuing service along Philadelphia Way.
Better Bus Redesign
In 2022, WMATA launched its Better Bus Redesign initiative, marking the agency’s first comprehensive restructuring of the Metrobus system.
By April 2023, WMATA released its Draft Visionary Network plan proposing modifications to Route F12. The suggested changes included rerouting it along Hubbard Road and Dodge Park Road in Landover and prioritizing service to the Office Park before reaching New Carrollton station, with a new designation as Route MD359.
Within the Revised Draft Visionary Network, adjustments were made to align MD359 more closely with the existing F12 path and rename it Route P44. Under this plan, P44 would continue connecting Cheverly station and New Carrollton station but would omit Hubbard Road and Dodge Park Road segments; these corridors would be served by the proposed Route P52 (currently operated as TheBus Route 27). Furthermore, operation of Route P44 would transfer from WMATA to TheBus. These revisions were incorporated into WMATA’s Proposed Network for 2025.
On November 21, 2024, WMATA formally approved the Better Bus Redesign Network.
Effective June 29, 2025, TheBus took over operations of Route F12 by merging it with Route 27 under the new designation Route P44. This new P44 route underwent significant changes: it retained the former F12 segment between New Carrollton station and Landover Road & Fire House Road but then diverted via Fire House Road, Kent Village Drive, Columbia Park Road, and Martin Luther King Jr. Highway before continuing along the original Route 27 corridor toward Downtown Largo station. Meanwhile, service to Cheverly station transitioned to TheBus Route P43.