Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority officials announced Wednesday that Metro has expanded a program that allows passengers to access real-time information on its buses.

Metro added 25 routes to the Next Bus system in the past month, giving the system a total of 32 routes where customers can call 301-562-4669 or go to www.wmata.com to find out exactly how many minutes they will have to wait.

Each stop on routes that have been added to the program has signs telling customers the stop's number, which they can use to find out arrival information via phone or online. Display boards with the arrival information have been installed at four bus terminals as well.

"I think we will increase ridership, but I know we are going to increase our customers' satisfaction," Metro General Manager John Catoe said during a Wednesday news conference at the Pentagon bus terminal. "On of the hardest things for bus customers is to be looking down the street, wondering when the next bus will be coming. Now our customers won't have to do that."

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Metro officials said the system is predicting bus arrivals with a 90-percent accuracy rate but they are working to fix several bugs in the technology. On Wednesday morning, for example, computer problems caused the system to be temporarily shut down.

"I think it is a much-needed improvement," said Michael Snyder, chairman of Metro's Riders Advisory Council. "It is definitely overdue. I just hope they get the glitches worked out."

Metro plans to add many more of its 376 routes and 14,200 bus stops to the NextBus service in September. Catoe said the routes have not been determined yet, but Metro's emphasis may be routes where customers must wait long periods of time between buses.

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com