U5 & U6 originally operated as part of the "Mayfair-Marshall Heights" D.C. Transit System Bus Line. 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.
1978 Changes
On December 3, 1978, both routes U5 and U6 went through a minor rerouting change, to divert into the newly opened Minnesota Avenue station.
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. 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
2018 Changes
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. The line was also renamed from "Mayfair–Marshall Heights Line" to "Marshall Heights Line."
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.
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. Keith Loving was later sentenced to 21 years behind bars.
