$2 gets you from DCA to Old Town on Metrobus 10A
Metrobus 10A is the cheap, niche play for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) if you’re heading along Washington Blvd or into Old Town Alexandria and don’t want to transfer. The ride runs about 20–35 minutes between the airport and Alexandria depending on traffic, and regulars mostly treat it as a backup when Metrorail is down or awkward for their exact stop.
The 10A serves DCA’s terminals 1 and 2 but does not pick up at the main arrivals curb. Stops sit along the airport access road, slightly away from the obvious taxi and rideshare zones, so you’ll want the WMATA 10A map or PDF timetable saved before you walk out of baggage claim.
Base fare is $2 using SmarTrip or contactless, matching standard Metrobus pricing as of 2026. For that you get a one-seat ride to Alexandria instead of taking the Yellow or Blue Line to King St–Old Town and transferring to another bus or walking 0.6–0.8 miles to some neighborhoods.
Service typically runs in the early morning through evening, with roughly 30-minute headways on most periods and no overnight service. Miss one bus and you may be standing at the access-road stop for a full half-hour, which is why many locals still default to Metrorail for anything time-sensitive.
Real-world timing often ends up similar to, or slower than, taking the train to King Street. Surface traffic on US‑1 and through Alexandria, plus multiple intermediate stops, can stretch what looks like a 20-minute ride on paper into the full 35 minutes during the weekday peaks.
Regular riders treat the 10A like a contingency plan. People who live along Washington Blvd and in Old Town pull it out when Metro has a service alert or single-tracking, but otherwise stick to the rail line running every 6–12 minutes instead of committing to a half-hour bus gap.
What regulars also do: download the official 10A timetable PDF and ignore third-party apps when planning from DCA. Low-frequency routes can throw off real-time predictions by 10–15 minutes, which matters a lot when the bus only comes twice an hour.
Step-by-step: catching Metrobus 10A from DCA
- 1. In baggage claim: Check your watch. If it’s late at night (after late evening service ends), skip 10A and head for Metrorail or a taxi instead.
- 2. Pull up the 10A timetable: Open the WMATA 10A PDF and confirm the next departure time from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport; aim to have at least 10 minutes to reach the stop.
- 3. Load payment: Make sure you have a SmarTrip card or a NFC card/phone ready to tap for the $2 fare.
- 4. Walk to the access-road stop: Follow signs for “Buses” from Terminal 1 or 2 and then look specifically for the 10A stop on the airport access road; signage is smaller than for Metrorail.
- 5. Confirm the bus: When a bus pulls up, check the front sign for “10A” and the Alexandria direction before boarding.
- 6. Tap in and ride: Tap your card or device at the farebox, grab a seat, and plan on 20–35 minutes to Old Town or your stop along Washington Blvd, depending on traffic.
- 7. Request your stop: As you approach your stop in Alexandria, pull the yellow cord or press the stop button with at least one block of notice.
One tip: if you walk out of DCA and see that the next 10A is more than 20 minutes away, Metrorail to King St–Old Town plus a short walk will usually beat it on total door-to-door time.