Metro Bus B30 Greenbelt-BWI Airport Line

While not a bad option if you don’t have a car because $ 7 (used to be $ 6) is still significantly cheaper than taking the SuperShuttle to BWI, just be sure to leave enough time to get to the airport and you have a cushion in case the Metro is delayed, so you don’t miss the bus. I’ve taken this bus quite a few times to the airport and while it gets the job done and you get to the airport, it takes a really long time. I would suggest looking into taking the MARC train because even when you’re on the bus, your arrival time at the airport can be much later than that indicated on the schedule because the bus gets stuck in the horrible rush hour traffic, whereas the train won’t have to deal with traffic.
Also, you may need to lift your suitcase over your head to put it in the luggage rack, which can be really difficult if you’re flying with a full-​sized suitcase that is close to 50 pounds! The bus can also be extremely crowded, so then there is limited space for your luggage and some drivers insist that your luggage still has to fit in the rack when the rack is definitely not big enough to fit all rider’s luggage.
While the bus will get you (eventually) to BWI, be sure to leave PLENTY of extra time, not only to make it from the Metro to the bus in time, but know that frequently the bus will arrive at the airport beyond the arrival time listed in the timetable. The bus can be a hassle and isn’t the most comfortable ride given how long you are on the bus (even when there isn’t traffic) and how frequently crowded it is, but if you have to get to the airport cheaply don’t count it out as an option.

It’s efficient but be sure to check the bus schedule. It really should be running more than every 40 mins. I missed it by 5 minutes and I may end up missing my flight!

The shuttle gets you to BWI. It costs $ 7 exact cash or using smart card. They WONT accept paper metro cards at all. You CANT use the smart card for more than 1 person. None of this is mentioned on any signage or websites (this should be fixed if you are reading this and can do something about it. Thankfully the bus driver was helpful after a hard time.

Great for getting you from Greenbelt to BWI and vice versa without any stops. Remember to have the exact amount in cash. If you are using a Smart Trip card, you will be okay but if this is down, make sure to have exact fare in cash.
Metro bus was clean and driver was friendly.
Thank you for reading my review. This is based off of my personal opinion and experience.

Good overall. Wish it would run more often.
«Next Bus» system was pretty accurate at estimating when the next bus was arriving.
Took a long time to get from BWI to NOVA — about 2 hrs. Will probably avoid BWI in the future if possible, but this express bus was a cheap alternative to get into Metro DC from BWI.
Smart card or $ 6 cash.
Ride took 40 mins from BWI to Greenbelt during rush hour. Tues around 3:30PM. Another 30 mins to get to L’ Enfant Plaza station.
Bus stop at Greenbelt is very close to main entrance. Go up the escalator on the left after the turnstile to transfer to the Green or Yellow line.

A great alternative to airport shuttles, they could maybe make it a bit better. The bus needs to have some what to make change or take credit cards for tourists unfamiliar with the Metro system. There could be more room for luggage. And the signage should be in more languages, again for the tourists. Also, the pickup point needs to be better marked, and there needs to be signs in the Metro terminal pointing tourists to the BWI bus. If metro made this bus easier for tourists to use, it would be very popular amongst tourists where public transportation is the norm.

This is a really great public transit option for getting to/​from BWI and DC. I live in Foggy Bottom and had never used this option as the way to get to BWI as I typically have used the airport shuttles. This however was the cheaper option by far (only $ 6 fare) and I found it quite easily once I had landed at BWI by following the public transit signs posted throughout the baggage claim. The only complaint I have is that this bus only runs every 40 minutes. I wish this ran every 20 minutes because the whole process of getting into DC is already time consuming (about 2 hours when all is said and done, especially on weekend Metro). So, waiting an extra half hour just made the commute time as long as my flight time! Otherwise though, this is an easy option if you plan your time accordingly. Not to mention you can buy your ticket/​reload your smarttrip right in the terminal so you don’t even have to preload your fare before you leave for your trip — i.e. you can make that last minute decision to take this bus.

I feel like every time I talk about this mode of transit for getting to and from BWI that I am greeted with blank stares. There’s a way to get to BWI by bus? Yep, there sure is. Ride the green line to the end. Exit the station and stand where all the bus stops are (which is just right outside of the station). Wait for the B30 to come along. Swipe your SmartCard and take a seat. The B30 has exactly one stop and that is BWI. Arrive, exit, proceed to your airline ticket counter. No metro to the train and then shuttle to the airport. I prefer to restrict my transfers between modes of transportation to as few as possible. So yeah, take the bus next time you have to fly in and/​or out of BWI.

This is a little known gem in terms of airport transit that I kind of don’t want the secret to be out on Unilocal!But alas, always willing to help my fellow Unilocalers :) I always end up flying into BWI when I come to DC and this bus is great. It runs more often than the Amtrak option at certain times of the day (mostly in the evenings I’ve found), is only $ 6, and very easy to find both at the Greenbelt station as well as in the actual airport. Last time I planned on taking a train from Union Station but when I looked up the Amtrak scheduled I realized that I’d miss my flight and get in too late to the airport as the amtrak trains weren’t running very often after 5pm for some reason that day. So, I high-​tailed it to the Greenbelt station and checking the B30 schedule online, was able to get one at the right time. Life saver! Not sure what the cab is but I’m sure it’s in the $ 50 range and this sure beats that. The only down sides of it is that you’re lugging your luggage around everywhere, you need exact change if you’re from out of town without a Smartcard, they run on the hour/don’t have a regular schedule, and it’s probably not optimal if there is rush hour traffic.

I was very pleasantly surprised how easy the B30 makes getting into DC from BWI. I typically avoid BWI when looking for flights, even though there’s usually cheaper and more flights to pick from, but I think I would consider it an option now that I’ve discovered how to get on to metro from the B30. Also, you can use your smartrip card… which is a super bonus if you’re like me and have a transportation subsidy from work.
The only downsides were that it doesn’t run very often (I think every 40 minutes on weekends) and it does entail a much longer journey into DC than coming in from IAD or DCA. But a great choice, if you’re not in a rush to get home.

Convenient bus line.
$ 6, cash only. You can also pay with Smartrip card thing, I believe.
Other Unilocalers summarize it pretty well here in their reviews. I freaked out when I had to fly through BWI to get to DC. Although I have taken the MARC train so I know the commute is not terrible. Still, this bus line makes everything a bit easier.
I suggest you to buy a Smartrip card for $ 5 and reload it with money. You can board metro and subway with SmarTrip card and save you $ 1 every time you ride the subway.

Painless. When I lived in Northern Virginia, I often took the 5A from Rosslyn to Dulles, believing it easier than commuting up the yellow/​green line to Greenbelt and taking the B30 bus from there. While the 5A is an excellent and reliable bus, the B30 is too! It’s an easy ride to Greenbelt and an even easier ride to BWI, with no stops in between. And for just $ 6, that’s quite a steal. From Columbia Heights to the airport door-​to-​door, it took me less than an hour! BWI has cheaper flights, (and cheap long-​term parking too), so if you find a steal, it might be worth running the numbers. DCA is always more convenient for those of us who live in the city, but the B30 gives it a run for its money.

Convenient, clean, roomy, cheap, and great service. Important tips: Be sure you have exactly $ 6 — they take 5s and singles. Also, check the schedule beforehand so you don’t have to wait much. Love the ride through farmland and pastures. I even saw cows lazing and grazing in a pasture. You also pass a Poultry research center and an agriculture department. Transporting experience.

You know you have returned to the DC area when you are greeted by a frumpy and demanding driver commandeering the B30 bus and telling you to move away from the door, so she can pull away while people are still waiting to pay their fare and fumbling with rolling luggage (and she arrived 5 minutes early too to the stop outside Terminal A). Oh DC, how I haven’t missed your attitude while I was gone!
The bus itself is the most convenient way to get from BWI airport and the Greenbelt metro (besides driving). It costs $ 6 and can be paid in exact change or a SmarTrip card. While there are luggage racks on the bus, they do not appear to fit larger sized suitcases in an efficient manner and thus mean bus driver will yell at you to turn the luggage on its side, after you have attempted to lift your 50 pound suitcase onto the top rack. She yells if you try and place your luggage by your seat too.
The drive itself isn’t too bad and takes about 45 minutes in non-​rush hour traffic: down the BW parkway and then a turn onto a wannabe country road and then viola… the Greenbelt metro. I appreciate the bus and its convenience but could seriously do without the driver’s attitude. Good thing the locals are used to the metro employees persona, but for someone visiting from out of town, not exactly a great first impression!

This is the best thing Metro has ever done.
This bus is cleaner than most Metro buses, has a rack for luggage, and goes directly from BWI to Greenbelt (and vice versa). The bus I was on was not crowded and took less time than the MARC train.
Let’s recap. For $ 6, I…
–boarded a bus in a timely manner
–read Bill Bryson in absolute peace
–noticed how quaint and provincial Maryland can be sometimes
–didn’t stop once between BWI and Greenbelt.
–was deposited at the entrance to Greenbelt metro.
–didn’t need to take an over-​crowded shuttle to the Amtrak station, buy a $ 7 MARC ticket, wait god-​knows-​how-​long, stop a jillion times, run through Union Station, shove onto the Metro, change Metro lines, and clunk my suitcase to my apartment.
–didn’t pay an ABSURD $ 27 for the Northeastern Regional on a Saturday (!!!)
I never thought Metrobus would be the most convenient part of my trip, anywhere, ever.

picks you up from greenbelt and its a straight ride to bwi
$ 6 pricey for a bus!

Slight revision in my advice: if you live on the yellow/​green line from Shaw northward, go to BWI this way instead of MARC. It really isn’t that bad, and I have to say it is better than going from CH to Dulles via the 5A.

Oh Southwest Airlines, if only you could fly into DCA I’d be a happy camper.
But you DON’T. So, I booked a flight into BWI and took public transportation to VIENNA, VIRGINIA. Sure, there’s Amtrak and MARC, but the B30 stop was close to the «A» terminals. It seems to come regularly as well.
I actually didn’t mind taking the B30. It’s $ 6 cash (and exact cash it is), which isn’t too much. There are only four stops (including two at BWI), so consider the B30 a shuttle. The trip from BWI to Greenbelt was actually … scenic. Yes, we were on the highway for the most part but near the end of the trip we drove through the country (or was it the suburbs?). Either way, I saw fields and forests. Maybe not exciting to you, but I’m from Chicago where there are no hills or wide open spaces. Before reaching Greenbelt Station, the bus drives on long-​winded road fill with warning bumps. So, prepared to be annoyed then.
The bus itself was meticulously clean with luggage storage near the back. If you’ve ever rode a bus (some of us haven’t), we all hate the passengers with large bags and suitcases, blocking the walkway and taking up seats.
The B30 is somewhat quick and pretty painless. I would probably try the Amtrak or MARC next time… or not because I’m never flying into BWI and traveling to DC EVER AGAIN. It’s IAD, DCA or bust.
(This review was way too long for a bus ride.)

I’m slightly inclined to give this route one star to deter others from using it. But, maybe if more people do use it, they’ll increase the frequency.
About 2 years ago, they increased the frequency from like once per hour to once every 40 mins or so. The price has now gone up to $ 6 each way too, plus the Metro signage is nominally better inside the baggage claim area. I still think it’s a conspiracy between the rental car folks and taxis to keep these busses pretty secret. Hopefully the incompetents who run the Metro Bus rightfully see this as a way to make money. Seriously, there should be a packed bus going to the Metro every 10 minutes!
Anyway, a few things to watch out for:
* Hey tourists, Metrobuses don’t give change. $ 6 exact fare. (I don’t know why they won’t put that on a sign by the bus stop).
* The «next bus» system gets confused at BWI.
* True, there is no synch between the Metro and the B30. One minute late and you are screwed.
Unlike the other reviewer, I’d suggest that if you are coming from downtown during rush hour, take the Marc train. They don’t get stuck in traffic. Either pick it up at Union Station or at New Carroltown (next stop after Union Station/​on the orange line).

«…It’s Too High To Get Over (Yeah, Yeah) Too Low To Get Under (Yeah, Yeah) There’s A Bar In The Middle (Yeah, Yeah)»
In The RAIN and Thunder (Yeah, Yeah) {…}
It’s a BARRICADE, You’re A Pedestrian
Greenbelt Hates You, You’re A Pedestrian
Your Car’s on the Parking Lot, You’re A Pedestrian
You Gotta Walk Around, You’re A Pedestrian
Yeeee Hah!
…um yeah… whoEVER designed the sidewalks at Greenbelt Metro Station gets an F– in kaizen, OK? That individual clearly did not have «parking lot clientele» in mind when he put that chest-​high wrougt-​iron two-​level barricade ALL THE WAY AROUND THE ACCESS PATH TO THE PARKING LOT. Although there are luminescent white lines, which I think are supposed to be «crosswalks», painted on the ground, they are so totally inconvenient for people who are trying to walk from the subway exit to their cars.
Moron the issue of the barricades. Yes, they are too high to get over, too low to get under, and yes there is a bar in the middle. Just try to get over one with a pencil skirt on. Can you say bootay? See it is more like it. Just try to squat dow low enough to get under it. I dam nearly broke my sacroiliac! UGH! I know they are just trying to keep pedestrians safe from being run-​over by some rogue texting bus driver but geez Louise! Can a person get a convenient crosswalk here-​and-​there? Especially when it’s rain and thunder? This was maddening.
I know I said in my last Unilocal that I wasn’t coming to this station ever again but I did it anyway. Why is it getting three stars? The morning commute: 1 train, 5:38 am, Greenbelt to Crystal City. YESSS! That makes it all worth it. For that, I just might come back again.