Mount Pleasant Line
| Company type | Public transit service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1872 (as streetcar line) |
| Defunct | 2025-06-29 (planned) |
| Fate | Service discontinued and consolidated into new routes |
Area served | Washington, D.C. |
| Products | Bus transportation |
| Owner | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) |
| Website | www |
The Mount Pleasant Line, consisting of Routes 42 and 43, provided daily bus transportation throughout Washington, D.C.. Initially established as a streetcar line until the 1960s, it linked prominent neighborhoods such as Mount Pleasant, Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Downtown, and Foggy Bottom. The routes also connected notable destinations including the Kennedy Center and Potomac Park. Managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, this line offered frequent service and recorded an annual ridership surpassing 1.4 million as of FY2024. The service is planned for termination on June 29, 2025.
Route
Routes 42 and 43 operated almost continuously on weekdays, with shortened hours during weekends. Route 43 was active from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, alternating trips with Route 42. Both routes were dispatched from the Western division.
Beginning at Mount Pleasant Street NW and 17th Street NW in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, the buses traveled south-southwest along Mount Pleasant Street NW, then veered southwest onto Columbia Road NW before continuing south on Connecticut Avenue NW heading toward Dupont Circle. Route 42 circled around Dupont Circle, stopping near the Dupont Circle station on Metro's Red Line at Q Street just south of the circle. In contrast, Route 43 bypassed these stops by using the Connecticut Avenue underpass and also omitted a northbound stop at R Street. Both routes proceeded to Farragut Square, passed through Potomac Park, and ended their journeys at the Kennedy Center.
Streetcar era
The origins of Routes 40 and 42 date back to 1872 with the Mount Pleasant Streetcar Line, which initially operated as a horse-drawn streetcar service. Between 1896 and 1900, electric streetcars replaced horsecars under the management of the Metropolitan Railroad.
In 1902, ownership transferred to the Washington Railway and Electric Company, which later merged with the Capital Traction Company during the 1930s and subsequently operated as DC Transit from 1956 onward.
Route 40 extended from Mount Pleasant through downtown Washington, D.C., reaching as far as Seat Pleasant, Maryland, while Route 42 connected Mount Pleasant with the eastern D.C. neighborhood of Kingman Park.
Both routes originated at Mount Pleasant and traveled to H Street before continuing eastward and then south along 14th Street NW, followed by an eastbound segment on F Street NW along the F Street Line. At 5th Street NW, Route 40 turned south and then east around the northern perimeter of the Capitol via East Capitol Street, ending near 15th Street NE. Meanwhile, Route 42 headed north and east past Washington Union Station along the East Washington Line, terminating at D Street NE and 13th Street NE. Route 40 continued further east to Seat Pleasant via East Capitol Street NE, Southern Avenue NE, and several local streets.
Bus era
The streetcar service on Route 40 was replaced by bus operations on December 3, 1961; Route 40’s bus conversion followed on January 28, 1962.
On February 4, 1973, WMATA took over routes 40 and 42 as part of its consolidation of DC Transit along with three other regional bus companies into the Metrobus system.
Following the March 1976 opening of Farragut North, Metro Center, Judiciary Square, and Union Station Metro stations, routes 40 and 42 incorporated stops at these key transit hubs. Dupont Circle station was added to their itinerary in January 1977.
In September 1978, route 42 was extended southeast from Kingman Park to Stadium–Armory station; route 40 also began serving this station. Both routes adjusted their paths slightly to include service to District of Columbia General Hospital. Supplementary shorter routes—44, 45, and 46—were introduced alongside portions of routes 40 and 42 to improve coverage between Stadium–Armory and Mount Pleasant as well as connections to the Bureau of Engraving and Kennedy Center.
By January 1981, following Capitol Heights station’s inauguration, route 40 was shortened to operate only between Mount Pleasant and Capitol Heights via Metro Center, Union Station, and Stadium–Armory stations. The segment beyond Capitol Heights toward Seat Pleasant was replaced by route F14; later on, route U8 covered parts of this corridor. Routes 42, 44, 45, and 46 remained unchanged during this period.
Throughout the late twentieth century—from the 1980s into the early ’90s—route 45 was discontinued with its service absorbed by routes 40, 42, 44, and 46. In March 1995 WMATA eliminated routes 40, 44, and 46; route 42’s service was truncated to run solely between Mount Pleasant and Metro Center. Sections between Metro Center and Union Station were replaced by Sibley Hospital–Stadium Armory Line routes (D1, D3, D6), while service between Union Station and Stadium–Armory was assumed by route D6 along with routes 96/97. The final segment from Union Station to Capitol Heights was also taken over by routes 96/97.
On December 28, 2008 route 43 was introduced alongside route 42 operating between Mount Pleasant and Farragut Square during weekday peak periods to reduce overcrowding by bypassing Dupont Circle station through the Connecticut Avenue underpass.
In a proposal made in 2019 WMATA suggested adding daily service for route 43 alternating with trips on route 42 that served Dupont Circle; route 42 would maintain early morning runs daily plus late nights daily and Sunday evenings only. This recommendation stemmed from a technical report aimed at easing congestion beneath Dupont Circle while enhancing punctuality (with average on-time performance ranging between seventy to eighty-five percent for both routes during late 2018 through mid-2019).
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 route 43 was suspended; meanwhile route 42 operated reduced Saturday schedules followed by Sunday schedules before weekend service ceased altogether shortly thereafter.
Effective August 23, 2020 route 43 was extended to Gallery Place and Metro Center following route 42’s alignment along H Street and nearby corridors. It began running daily every other trip alternating with route 42 between Mount Pleasant and Metro Center but bypassed Dupont Circle station.
The FY2022 budget proposal in February 2021 included plans by WMATA to discontinue service between Farragut Square and Gallery Place for both routes 42 and 43 due to availability of alternative transit options while maintaining a frequency interval of twelve minutes.
On September 5, 2021 both routes were rerouted to serve Kennedy Center via adjacent streets replacing former Route 80 service; simultaneously service to Gallery Place and Metro Center was dropped.
Because of increased Omicron variant cases in late 2021 into early 2022 weekday service was reduced to Saturday schedules but resumed full weekday operations by February 7, 2022.
As part of WMATA’s Better Bus Redesign effective June 29, 2025 routes 42 and 43 will be consolidated into a new D72 line that follows former route 43’s corridor between Mount Pleasant and Farragut Square before ending at McPherson Square station. During peak periods including rush hours plus early weekend mornings service will extend from Mount Pleasant to Van Ness–UDC station. Service coverage for Dupont Circle will transition to an extended Route H8 (renamed D74), while Kennedy Center connections will be handled by a rerouted Pennsylvania Avenue Line (renamed D10).