How is the P17/18/19 Fort Washington to DC Bus? (middle-class, house)

[CodeMonkey411]

I'm looking to purchase a house in Fort Washington either in the Fort Foote Rd loop or down further in the Tantillon area. Ft. Washington seems too far to drive to the Branch Ave metro so the only option I see besides driving to downtown DC is taking the P17-P18-P19 bus. If anyone here rides this bus - how long does it take? Is it safe? It goes through some rougher areas but is it mostly commuters or do a lot of kids take it? I'll be trying it myself before I make a move but I wanted to get some others opinions. Thanks-a-lot.

[yayayards]

Originally Posted by CodeMonkey411

I'm looking to purchase a house in Fort Washington either in the Fort Foote Rd loop or down further in the Tantillon area. Ft. Washington seems too far to drive to the Branch Ave metro so the only option I see besides driving to downtown DC is taking the P17-P18-P19 bus. If anyone here rides this bus - how long does it take? Is it safe? It goes through some rougher areas but is it mostly commuters or do a lot of kids take it? I'll be trying it myself before I make a move but I wanted to get some others opinions. Thanks-a-lot.

I took the exact same bus on my way back from denison landscaping in FW. Its not that bad in my opinion it usually takes about half hour/hour. Sorry man, your not going to find a bus from your destination or anywhere coming to dc "safe" its all about watchng yourself your kids and your stuff, and mabie your spouse. Try the route, see how you feel about it and go from there.

Good luck

[Foolie 301]

Its mostly commuters on the P17 and P19, but a mix of everyone on the P18 since is local and doesn't go all the way downtown (P18 stops at Anacostia while the P17/P19 go all the to Farragut Square). Yes they do travel through rough parts of the city, but you should be fine. In case you are wondering, nearly all of the passengers who ride these routes are black. The P18 can get wild but don't be afraid to ride it.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by CodeMonkey411

I'm looking to purchase a house in Fort Washington either in the Fort Foote Rd loop or down further in the Tantillon area. Ft. Washington seems too far to drive to the Branch Ave metro so the only option I see besides driving to downtown DC is taking the P17-P18-P19 bus. If anyone here rides this bus - how long does it take? Is it safe? It goes through some rougher areas but is it mostly commuters or do a lot of kids take it? I'll be trying it myself before I make a move but I wanted to get some others opinions. Thanks-a-lot.

I'm confused by the area off of Fort Foote Road being a long way? If you buy a place there, you could cut through traffic by going down Kerby Hill Road all the way down to the 210 light and you would only have one light to get pass until you get to 95. At worst that is a 20 minute drive. I don't see what's wrong with that especially considering it would probably be about 10-15 minutes faster than taking the bus.

Now if you moved to Tantallon that's a different story. Depending on how far down you are the commute can be brutal. My wife usually takes the W15 and the D14 which goes close to the same area and usually there are commuters on there, but she always tells me that the people change up after a certain time in the evening so take that for what it is.

[slowlane2]

I rode the P19- P17 routes daily for many years, before I retired in 2006. At that time, there was heavy congestion every morning around the 210/495 interchange, causing long delays. Hopefully this situation has been fixed by now by the new Oxon Hill Road underpass there???

P19 and P17 operate basically during rush-hour and serve only riders living outside the Beltway, who are very respectable middle-class crowd. You won't find any D.C. residents on there. The P18 operates during mid-day and starts/ends at Anacostia Station, and because (I think) it also serves the stops along South Capitol Street, it has a few inner-city passengers but not too many.

If you have a car available and can park at the large lot (across from National Harbor), you will save a few minutes over catching the bus by your house, since at the parking lot you will be able to catch BOTH the p17 or P19, whichever comes first when you get there. On the other hand, since that's the last boarding stop in the morning, you may have standing room only.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by slowlane2

I rode the P19- P17 routes daily for many years, before I retired in 2006. At that time, there was heavy congestion every morning around the 210/495 interchange, causing long delays. Hopefully this situation has been fixed by now by the new Oxon Hill Road underpass there???

It has been much much better since they change the intersection. Once you get pass Kerby Hill there is virtually no traffic because the Wilson Bridge light rarely turns red. Traffic flows much better at that point so if the OP can cut through to Kerby Hill, they would have passed the traffic.

[ATL_II_DMV]

Originally Posted by CodeMonkey411

I'm looking to purchase a house in Fort Washington either in the Fort Foote Rd loop or down further in the Tantillon area. Ft. Washington seems too far to drive to the Branch Ave metro so the only option I see besides driving to downtown DC is taking the P17-P18-P19 bus. If anyone here rides this bus - how long does it take? Is it safe? It goes through some rougher areas but is it mostly commuters or do a lot of kids take it? I'll be trying it myself before I make a move but I wanted to get some others opinions. Thanks-a-lot.

The P17 is pretty safe/ quick ride to downtown.

When I was still living at my mother's house off Fort Foote Road, I used to catch the P17 from Le'Fant Plaza often.

Will get you to the park N ride parking lot (by the national harbor) quickly from downtown