It really depends. I biked a lot too but my commute north to Silver Spring was quite speedy, and it was more pleasant riding in this lovely city aboveground tha

It really depends. I biked a lot too but my commute north to Silver Spring was quite speedy, and it was more pleasant riding in this lovely city aboveground than underneath, for less money & significantly shorter travel time. Alas enforcement is not good, but DC has also made a signicant number of bus lanes that also do sometimes help. There's a good number of limited-stop bus routes that span some pretty long routes that would require much more cross-city metro riding, and serving many places the metro doesnt conveniently service at all. My feeling is generally the opposite of yours- actual urbanites are good at & love the buses, know some real handy convenient routes, and people further afield tend to only know & try the much simpler & more limited metrorail. DC just isnt that big; a handful of stops if you're going 2-4 miles is not really a concern.