Sheriff Road Line
| Company type | Public transit bus service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | U4 |
| Founded | 1973-02-04 |
Area served | Northeast Washington, D.C. |
| Parent | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |
The Sheriff Road Line, identified as Route C33, is a daily transit service managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. This route links the Minnesota Avenue station—serving the Orange and Silver Lines of the Washington Metro—to communities situated along Sheriff Road NE and River Terrace. During peak periods, Route C33 operates at intervals of 13 to 15 minutes, while off-peak trips occur approximately every 30 minutes, with an average journey duration near 30 minutes.
Background
Operating every day, Route C33 runs between Minnesota Avenue station and two termini: Sheriff Road NE & Lee Street NE (Sheriff Road) or 33rd Street NE & Blaine Street NE (River Terrace). Given relatively low ridership levels, this route primarily utilizes smaller 30-foot buses similar to those on route U4, instead of the standard 40-foot vehicles commonly deployed by WMATA. Nevertheless, 40-foot buses are occasionally assigned when maintenance is required on the smaller fleet.
Route U4 was previously based out of the Bladensburg division.
History
Prior to WMATA’s Better Bus Redesign initiative, what is now Route C33 operated under the designation U4. The U4 traced its origins back to the "Sheriff Road-River Terrace" streetcar line that served Northeast Washington D.C. neighborhoods before buses replaced streetcars in the 1950s. Following WMATA’s consolidation of four regional bus operators, U4 officially became a Metrobus route on February 4, 1973, preserving much of its original streetcar routing.
On December 3, 1978, U4 was slightly adjusted to serve the newly inaugurated Minnesota Avenue station, while maintaining its existing routing elsewhere. At that time, it was referred to as the Minnesota Avenue Shuttle.
On January 22, 1984, U4’s route was modified to run between Sheriff Road and Capitol View, continuing to pass Minnesota Avenue station in both directions.
In 2014, WMATA proposed modifications for U4 effective June 2015 aimed at enhancing capacity utilization around Minnesota Avenue station:
- The U4 would operate daily between River Terrace and Deanwood Station, following its established path to Minnesota Avenue station before continuing along the V7/V8 alignment to Deanwood.
- Service between Minnesota Avenue Station and Sheriff Road would be discontinued on U4.
- A new Route U7 would assume service along the corridor between Minnesota Avenue Station and Sheriff Road.
These adjustments were designed to better distribute passenger demand among routes serving Minnesota Avenue station.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, starting March 16, 2020, Route U4 reduced operations by adopting a Saturday supplemental schedule on weekdays and transitioning to a Sunday schedule from March 18. Weekend service was suspended beginning March 21. Full restoration of pre-pandemic schedules occurred on August 23, 2020.
In February 2021, WMATA included a proposal in its FY2022 budget to eliminate Route U4 if federal funding support was not obtained.
Following WMATA’s Better Bus Redesign rollout on June 29, 2025, Route U4 was redesignated as Route C33 without changes to its routing.
Incidents
- On September 5, 2017, an individual was taken into custody after spitting at a U4 bus operator along Minnesota Avenue. The operator required medical attention at a hospital.