The C61 operates daily between Brookland station and Tenleytown station. The route connects Brookland and Tenleytown stations by bus without having to take the Red Line. The C61 currently operates out of Bladensburg division.
The line was later acquired by DC Transit in 1956 and later diverted to serve the Washington Hospital Complexes along 1st Street. It later became a Metrobus route in 1973.[4]
On February 19, 1978, after Brookland–CUA station opened, routes H2 and H4 were diverted off Monroe Street to serve the new station. This gives residents access to the Red Line on its route. No route changes were made during its route.
On August 25, 1984, routes H2 and H4 were rerouted off Tenley Circle to serve Tenleytown–AU station in the middle of its route when it opened. No route changes were made on the route.[5]
On September 18, 1999, after Columbia Heights station opened a series of changes were made to the H2 and H4.
Routes H2 was shorten to terminate at Van Ness–UDC station and route H4 was shorten to terminate at Tenleytown–AU station. Service to Westmoreland Circle and along Yuma Street was replaced by a new route N8 which will operate between Van Ness and Wesley Heights. This was due to resident complaint along Yuma Street and Tenleytown over H2 and H4 buses making loud noises along Yuma street causing noise pollution and damage to homes. The new N8 solves the noise complaint problem by using smaller and quieter 30ft buses.[6][7]
Routes H2 and H4 were also shorten from Fort Lincoln to Brookland–CUA station with the portion between the two points was replaced by a new route H6 which operates on the former route H2 and H4 routing.
A new route H3 was introduced to operate alongside route H4 during the weekday peak-hours between Brookland and Tenleytown stations following route H2's routing in Mount Pleasant and route H4 routing along Porter Street and Wisconsin Avenue plus operating along Reno Road. The main difference is route H3 would not serve the Hospital Complexes along 1st street and instead remain along Michigan Avenue.
On June 25, 2000, route H3 was rerouted along the H4 routing on Mount Pleasant Street, Park and Klingle roads instead of operating along Adams Mill Road, Irving Street, and Harvard Street where the H2 operates.[8]
In 2010 during WMATA's FY2011 budget year, WMATA proposed to reroute route H2 back to Tenleytown–AU station discontinuing service to Van Ness–UDC station in order to replace route N8 which is proposed to be eliminated due to declining ridership. Route H2 would operate along Van Ness Street, Reno Road, Veazey Street, and Wisconsin Avenue. Route H3 would also be rerouted between the intersections of Porter Street & Reno Road NW and Wisconsin Avenue & Veazey Street NW via Porter Street and Wisconsin Avenue which follows the current H4 route. Alternative service along Connecticut Avenue to Van Ness will be available on routes L1, L2, and L4.[9]
On December 19, 2010, route H2 was rerouted to turn on Van Ness Street, Reno Road, Veazey Street, and Wisconsin Avenue to serve Tenleytown–AU station in order to replace the N8 routing along those streets which was shortened to Tenleytown station. Route H3 service was also rerouted to remain on Porter Street and turn onto Wisconsin Avenue and follow the H4 routing to Tenleytown station. Service along Reno Street where the H3 operated plus H2 service to Van Ness–UDC station, and H3 service inside the Hospital Complex was discontinued. Routes L1, L2, and L4 took over the discontinued portion of the H2 along Connecticut Avenue but there was no alternative service is provided on Reno Road.[10] As of 2020, there has been no major changes to routes H2, H3, or H4.
In September 2013, during WMATA's FY2014 budget year, WMATA proposed to convert route H3 into a MetroExtra limited-stop route and extend the route to Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood station via 12th street and Rhode Island Avenue. This was to provide a more direct connection between Rhode Island Ave station, the hospital center complex, and Columbia Heights and provide a faster ride across town by limiting the number of stops. The current H3 routing between Brookland and Tenleytown, weekday service frequency and span of service will remain unaffected. Route H3 will serve the following stops:[11]
Existing local stops will still be provided by routes H2 and H4.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all route H3 was suspended and route H2 and H4 was reduced to operate on its Saturday supplemental schedule beginning on March 16, 2020.[12] However, on March 18, 2020, the line was further reduced to operate on its Sunday schedule.[13] On March 21, 2020, route H2 weekend service was suspended and route H4 service was reduced to operate every 30 minutes.[14] Additional service was added and Route H2 weekend service was restored on August 23, 2020, however route H3 remained suspended.[15]
In September 2020, WMATA proposed to eliminate all route H3 service due to low federal funds.[16] Later in February 2021, due to low federal funds, WMATA proposed to reroute the H2 and H4 to Friendship Heights station via Connecticut Avenue NW north of Calvert Street NW to replace the L1 and L2 beginning in January 2022. Service to Tenleytown–AU station, on Porter Street between Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenues, Wisconsin Avenue, and on Van Ness Street between Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenues and on Veazey Street would be eliminated.[17]
On September 5, 2021, service was increased to operate every 12 minutes between both routes between 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM. However, route H3 service was never restored.[18]
Better Bus Redesign
In 2022, WMATA launched its Better Bus Redesign project, which aimed to redesign the entire Metrobus Network and is the first full redesign of the agency's bus network in its history.
In April 2023, WMATA launched its Draft Visionary Network. As part of the drafts, WMATA proposed to combine the H2 and H4 into one route. The new route named Route DC103 in the proposals, would still operate between Brookland and Tenleytown, but the route would no longer loop inside MedStar Washington Hospital Center or Washington VA Medical Center, and instead from the intersection of Michigan Avenue NE & Irving Street NW, the route would operate along Irving Street, and 1st Street before operating on the H2 routing along Columbia Road NW, Irving Street NW, Harvard Street NW, and Adam Mills Road NW. The route would follow the H4 routing from the intersection of Klingle Road NW & Adam Mills Road NW to Tenleytown station, operating along Klingle Road NW, Porter Street NW and Wisconsin Avenue NW.
Service to the MedStar Washington Hospital Center and Washington VA Medical Center was to be served by the proposed Route DC303 between the Hospital Center and Potomac Park. H4 service along Mount Pleasant Street and Park Road was taken over by the proposed Route DC104, operating similarly to the current Routes 42 and 43, and H2 service along Veazey Street NW, Van Ness Street NW, and Connecticut Avenue NW was not included in the drafts.[19]
During WMATA's Revised Draft Visionary Network, WMATA renamed the DC103 to Route C61, and modified the route to remain along Michigan Avenue NE and serve 1st Street before operating along Irving Street and vice versa, with the remainder of the route remaining the same. Route DC303 was also retained and renamed to Route C59, with service to the Washington Hospital Center Complex also being served by proposed Routes C63 (DC212) and D36 (Route DC211). A new Route C87 route was also created to operate along the current H2 routing along Van Ness Street NW between Silver Spring station and Van Ness–UDC station via 16th Street NW, Military Road NW, Nebraska Avenue NW, Wisconsin Avenue NW, and Van Ness Street NW.[20] All changes were then proposed during WMATA's 2025 Proposed Network.[21][22] However during the proposals, the C59 was dropped in favor of the C63 and D36.[23]
On November 21, 2024, WMATA approved its Better Bus Redesign Network.[24]
As part of WMATA's Better Bus Redesign beginning on June 29, 2025, both the H2 and H4 were modified and combined into one route, being renamed into the C61.[25]
The new C61 still operates between Tenleytown and Brookland stations. But the route no longer loops around any of the Washington Hospitals along 1st Street, instead running straight to Irving Street NW, and following the H2 routing to the intersection of Klingle Road NW & Adam Mills Road NW, then operating along the H4 routing to Tenleytown station. Service on Michigan Avenue between Park Place and 1st Street was replaced by Route C63, service along Mount Pleasant Street and Park Road was replaced by Route D72, and service along Connecticut Avenue NW and Van Ness Street NW was replaced by Route C87 during the weekday peak hours only. There was no replacement service along Reno Road and Veazey Street however.
Incidents
On July 21, 2014, an H4 driver and a 65-year-old male passenger got into an altercation near Tenleytown station after the passenger refused to pay the fare. The man punched the driver in the face while holding a blade in his fist. The driver was sent to the hospital after sustained a laceration to his face. The man was detained by the Metropolitan Police Department and later arrested by Metro Transit Police. The man was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.[26]
On January 22, 2020, an H4 bus slammed into half a dozen vehicles along Porter Street & Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland Park.[27]
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