Marshall Heights Line

The Marshall Heights Line, designated Route U5 & U6, were daily bus routes operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Minnesota Avenue station of the Orange and Silver Lines of the Washington Metro and Marshall Heights via Lincoln Heights. Both lines operated every 20–30 minutes at all times. Trips took roughly 30 minutes for both routes.

U5, U6
Marshall Heights Line
Overview
System	Metrobus
Operator	Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Garage	Bladensburg
Livery	Local
Status	Discontinued
Began service	1966
Ended service	June 29, 2025
Route
Locale	Northeast, Southeast
Communities served	Benning Heights, Lincoln Heights, Fort Dupont, Capitol View, Marshall Heights
Landmarks served	Marshall Heights, Lincoln Heights, Capitol View, Benning Road station, Texas Ave. S.E., 37th St. and Ely Pl. S.E. (U6), Ridge Rd. S.E., Greenway, Minnesota Avenue station
Start	Minnesota Avenue station
Via	Minnesota Avenue NE, Texas Avenue SE. Ridge Road SE
End	Marshall Heights (51st Street & Fitch Streets SE)
Length	30 minutes
Service
Level	Daily
Frequency	20 minutes (Between 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily) 30 minutes (all other times)
Operates	4:18 AM - 2:00 AM
Ridership	425,176 (U5, FY 2024)[1] 407,815 (U6, FY 2024)[1]
Transfers	SmarTrip only
Timetable	Marshall Heights Line
Route map ← U4  {{{system_nav}}}  U7 →

Route Description

Routes U5 and U6 provided service in Northeast and Southeast Washington in Marshall Heights, Lincoln Heights, Benning Heights, and Greenway via Minnesota Avenue, Ridge Road, Texas Avenue, and East Capitol Street.

Routes U5 and U6 operated out of Bladensburg division.

History

U5 & U6 originally operated as part of the "Mayfair-Marshall Heights" D.C. Transit System Bus Line.^[2] U5 & U6 eventually became WMATA Metrobus Routes on February 4, 1973, when WMATA acquired all four bus companies that operated throughout the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area and merged them all together to form its own, "Metrobus" System while keeping their same routing.^[2]

On December 3, 1978, both routes U5 and U6 went through a minor rerouting change, to divert into the newly opened Minnesota Avenue station.^[3]

On November 22, 1980, both routes U5 and U6 began serving Benning Road station. Both U5 & U6 would serve the station at the intersection of East Capitol Street NE & Benning Road NE/SE.^[4]

In WMATA's FY2015, it was proposed to shorten routes U5 and U6 at Minnesota Avenue station having Mayfair service replaced by a new route U1. The reasons were to improve reliability of service by operating shorter routes, create a better balance of capacity and demand throughout the line, and performance measures has an on-time performance is 78 percent compared to the target of 81 percent.^[5]

The study was brought up again during WMATA's FY2019 budget. Routes U5 and U6 would end at Minnesota Avenue station still with Mayfair service replaced by route U7. This was to improve service reliability and on-time performance by shortening the routes, create a better balance of capacity and customer demand on routes U5, U6, and U7, recommended in the 2014 U and V Lines Service Evaluation Study, and respond to Minnesota Avenue NE construction conclusion. Performance measures go as the following:

Performance Measure	Route U5, U6	WMATA Guideline	Pass/Fail
Average Weekday Riders	3233	432	Pass
Cost Recovery	18%	16.6%	Pass
Subsidy per Rider	$2.40	$4.81	Pass
Riders per Trip	45	10.7	Fail
Riders per Revenue Mile	4.4	1.3	Pass

On June 24, 2018, Route U5 and U6 discontinued service to Mayfair & Parkside being replaced by extended route U7. All trips now terminate at Minnesota Avenue station.^[6] The line was also renamed from "Mayfair–Marshall Heights Line" to "Marshall Heights Line."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Route U5 and U6 was reduced to operate on its Saturday supplemental schedule during the weekdays beginning on March 16, 2020.^[7] On March 18, 2020, the line was further reduced to operate on its Sunday schedule.^[8] Weekend service was later suspended on March 21, 2020.^[9] Additional service and weekend service was restored on August 23, 2020.^[10]

In February 2021 during the FY2022 budget, WMATA proposed to eliminate the U5 and U6 and replace it with a modified 96 and Route V2 if WMATA does not get any federal funding.^[11]

As part of WMATA's Better Bus Redesign taking place on June 29, 2025, the U5 was combined with the M6, operating the U5 route between Minnesota Avenue station and Marshall Heights, then operates along Southern Avenue, Alabama Avenue SE, and 41st Street SE before reaching the M6 route along Southern Avenue. It then follows the M6 route to Potomac Avenue station via Pennsylvania Avenue. The line was renamed into the C37. The U6 routing in Fort Dupont was replaced by a rerouted U7 (renamed into the C35).^[12]

Incidents

• On November 13, 2011, at around 6:30 AM, a man was shot twice on a U6 bus along 37th Street and Ridge Road. The victim was taken to a local hospital.^[13]
• On May 3, 2016, 30-year-old Keith James Loving hijacked a U6 bus along Minnesota and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenues with needle nose pliers and drove the bus into a gas station parking lot killing 40-year-old Anthony Payne. Police later apprehend Loving and was later arrested and charged with murder. The U6 driver suffered minor back injuries while no passengers were injured.^[14][15][16] Keith Loving was later sentenced to 21 years in jail.^[17]