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TranspoBINGO 2026 Board & Rules of Play

Play your way through the city during TranspoBINGO 2026, February 5–12. This year’s TranspoBINGO invites participants to treat non-car travel as a game: where curiosity sets the route, exploration earns the points, and the city itself becomes the gameboard. At a moment when joy matters, playful challenges rooted in public and active transportation help us rediscover delight, connection, and a sense of possibility in how we move through our city together. TranspoBINGO welcomes players of all ages and encourages intergenerational connection, including children, as well as adults who want to play like kids again.

 

TranspoBINGO is designed to meet players where they are:

 

  • Newcomers or those with limited transit options: Try a square that’s easier or more fun, and share your experiences. Your input shows where improvements are needed.

  • Experts or repeat players: Stretch your skills, explore new areas, advocate for better transit, and encourage others to play.

  • Elected officials and decisionmakers: Challenge yourself to experience public transit the way neighbors rely on it, and practice what you preach.​​

 

You may only mark one square per trip. If the board feels too easy, raise the stakes by limiting yourself to one square per round trip or by choosing more challenging squares. Join us on Bluesky or Instagram and share your adventures using #TranspoBINGO—because play is better when it’s shared. 

 

At the end of the week, please fill out the TranspoBINGO scorecard to share how many TranspoBINGO squares you completed, which ones you enjoyed, and how you challenged yourself. Prizes will be awarded at the Active Transit Social on February 12 at Atlas Brew Works – Bridge District (a five-minute walk from the Anacostia Metro), celebrating creativity, curiosity, and the many ways participants chose to play their way through the city.

TranspoBINGO 2026 Board

2026 Board.png

TranspoBINGO 2026 Rules of Play

1. Transpo to Group Play

It’s a new square! Lead with community and connection by using public or active transportation to take part in a fun group activity. Play the DC Statehood game with the League of Women Voters of DC (a returning sponsor!), check out game gatherings hosted by our new sponsors Labyrinth, Big Chair Chess Club, and DC Gaymers, or sing, improvise, and play along with new sponsor District Karaoke and supporters Washington Improv Theater and DC Mahjongg. Share what you joined, how you got there, and how connection showed up along the way.

2. Transpo to Winter Water Play​

It’s a new square! Use public or active transportation to get to a winter water play space: an indoor pool, an ice rink, or even a cross-country ski trail (if conditions allow). Winter play looks different, but it still counts: swim, skate, slide, or glide, and notice how transit shapes access to seasonal fun and winter conditions can make access uneven. Paying attention to snow clearing, ice, and who can safely get there is part of the game, too.

3. Route Match: Better Bus Edition

It’s a new square! Keep your eyes on the board, specifically the buses! While riding or waiting with public or active transportation, spot at least three different Metrobus routes under the new Better Bus numbering system (for example: D40, C63, M4, etc.). Each bus you spot or ride is a clue about how our city connects. Bonus points if you can explain what part of the city the route letter signifies! Tell us how the bus redesign works (or doesn’t) for you.

4. Play the Part: Transpo with Whimsy

It’s a player favorite! Turn your trip into play by wearing something whimsical, playful, or delightfully unexpected while using public or active transportation. Costumes, themed outfits, bright colors, capes, silly hats, and coordinated looks with friends all count. You can even walk, roll, and prance to school with Prance, Ward 6 Family Biking, the Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization, the Hill is Home, CHAMPS, and others (make sure to wear your neon!). Notice what shifts when you show up in character—how people react, how the trip feels, and how a little fun changes the experience of moving through the city.

5. Connect 2 (or 3 or 4): Transpo Across Quadrants

It’s a new-ish square! Play the city like a game board. Use public or active transportation to connect DC quadrants (or neighboring counties) by traveling east–west and/or north–south. Start by connecting two quadrants, stretch to three, or go for all four—NW, NE, SW, and SE—during TranspoBINGO. Each connection is a move: cross ward lines, rivers, or familiar boundaries, including via our 62 miles of multi-use trails, 13.3 miles of bus-only lanes, and 40 miles of protected bike lanes. Join one of our faves the Metropolitan Branch Trail Pub Roll (#MBTpubroll) for a fun TranspoBINGO kickoff option with beloved TranspoBINGO sponsor metrobar. Then share what you connected and what changed when you played across the board.

6. Play the Region: Non-WMATA Transit

It’s a new square! Play outside the home system. Use non-WMATA transit to make a trip across the DMV and beyond. Ride a MARC or VRE train for regional travel, hop on a Maryland (Ride On or TheBus) or Virginia (DASH) local bus to cross state borders and explore how the wider region connects. Join the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail for a cleanup in Virginia or Big Chair Chess Club for game play or Greater Greater Washington and Coalition for Smarter Growth for urbanism happy hours in Maryland. Share what system you used, where it took you, and how playing beyond WMATA changed your sense of the region and the game.

7. Roll the Dice: Transfers

It’s a new square! Use public or active transportation and roll the dice (or choose a number 1–6) to determine how many transfers your trip will include. Transfers can be between lines (Metro to Metro, bus to bus) or between modes (bus to rail, rail to bike, walk to bus, etc.). Plan a trip that hits your transfer count, then notice how the system works when you string connections together. Share how many transfers you made, how they went, and what you learned by playing the trip this way.

8. Gratitude Round: Thank a Transpo Hero

It’s a creator favorite! Every game has MVPs. Use public or active transportation and thank an everyday transpo hero—a bus or train operator, station staffer, DPW trash collector, or anyone who keeps our streets, transit, and public spaces running. Make it playful and visible: a wave, a sign, a note, or a public shoutout all count. Learn more about ATU Local 689, our local transit worker union, and hang out with and thank them in person at the Active Transit Social. Regardless of who you thank, share how appreciation showed up in your trip.

9. City Services Level-Up (311)

It’s a creator and player favorite! Every game has power moves, and this is one of them. Use 311 to submit a city services request that improves the board: traffic calming at an intersection or school, a needed crosswalk, damaged bollards, missing bike lane striping, or a full (or missing) public trash can. Find inspiration from groups fighting for safer streets like DC Families for Safe Streets and Petworth for Safer Streets. Each request is a way to level up streets and public spaces for everyone. Play it once, or play it often; the more moves you make, the better the board gets.

10. Main Street/Local Business Monopoly

It’s a creator and player favorite! Inspired by amazing small business sponsors and the groups that support them like CHAMPS and District Bridges, use public or active transportation to travel to a local small business. Grab a bite, shop, or try something new, including a neighborhood bike shop like new sponsors BicycleSPACE and Upshift Workshop that keeps active transportation rolling, and support the places that give our neighborhoods their character. Give a shoutout to both the business and how you got there. (We’ve even inspired other bingo games supporting our local small businesses—proof that this move keeps paying off.)

11. Terminus to Terminus: Play the Board!

It’s a new-ish square! See the whole city by playing it end to end. Treat DC like a game map and travel from one terminus to the other on a Metro line, bus line, or trail (whether it’s the scenic Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, the cherry blossom rich Oxon Run Trail, the picturesque Marvin Gaye Trail, the bustling Metropolitan Branch Trail, or the regional Mount Vernon Trail), or even visit all Metro stations, transpo to every DC neighborhood, or transpo to all of DC’s boundary stones or forts! This square is about distance and perspective: what do you notice when you play across the board instead of just one square?

12. 51 Trash Pickup (Community Cleanup)

It’s a creator and player favorite! Inspired by the classic “52 Card Pickup,” this square turns community cleanup into play, DC-style. Set your own rules and aim for 51 in honor of DC Statehood: pick up 51 pieces of trash, collect 51 pounds across a group, or work together to hit 51 by bags, minutes, or teams. Join a sponsor cleanup with Ward 8 Woods or the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail, or host your own at a transit stop, trail, or park. Track your impact, share how you played, and help keep our public spaces clean—because in this game, everyone wins. Bonus: Advocate for DC Statehood!

13. DIY: Make Your Own Active Transpo Game

It’s a new square! Inspired by sponsors like Chalk Riot, design your own active transportation game or play one you find while moving through the city. Look for or create playful games at transit stops, sidewalks, and public spaces like Hopscotch, Tag, Simon Says, or Red Light / Green Light, adapted for walking, biking, rolling, or riding transit. Share the game you played, how active transportation made it possible, and what made it fun. Bonus: Get others to play along. And don’t forget: One of our TranspoBINGO prizes, courtesy of Game Genius, is free tickets to their District Hunt, a citywide, social-themed treasure hunt you can play solo or as a team.

14. Roll the Dice: New-To-You Neighborhood

It’s a player favorite! Let chance choose your destination. Roll the dice (or pick a number 1–12) and use public or active transportation to explore a new-to-you neighborhood. Numbers 1–8 send you to a DC ward you don’t live in; 9–12 push play beyond the city, challenging you to travel by bus or train to Maryland or Virginia. Active transportation lets you cross rivers, ward lines, and even state borders, no car required. Share where chance sent you, how you got there without a car, and what you discovered along the way.

15. Play for Good: Transpo for Public Service

It’s a new square! Turn care into a move on the board. Use public or active transportation to volunteer or show up for others. Join a faith-based service project, support a mutual aid effort, help at a food pantry, or get involved with a local senior village like Cleveland & Woodley Park Village. You can even join the TranspoBINGO team to make trail mix for Martha’s Table. Service counts as play when it strengthens connection, care, and shared responsibility. Share where you volunteered, how you got there without a car, and how showing up helped build a stronger, more resilient community.

16. Guess Who?: Advocate for Transpo

It’s a mash-up player favorite! Flip the script by choosing a transportation or public-space issue and making an advocacy move: email, call, testify, meet with an elected or appointed official (Bicycle Advisory Council/Pedestrian Advisory Council, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, Councilmember, Mayor, Congress, or beyond), or engage with planning and advocacy groups like APA NCAC, Georgetown University Urban & Regional Planning Program, and Cleveland Park Smart Growth. This could mean pushing for safer streets, better bus service, Vision Zero funding, climate and sustainability measures, protecting DC home rule and local control over transit and public spaces, and more. Share who you contacted, what issue you raised, and how you showed up. Bonus: Use public or active transportation to advocate in person.

17. Memory Match: Lost Transit & Public Spaces

It’s a new square! Play a round of Memory with the city. Use public or active transportation to visit the site of a lost or disappearing transit line or public space, like a former streetcar route or a block that once hosted streeteries or shared street uses. Match the past to the present by noticing what remains, what’s changed, and what clues still exist. Then flip the card forward: imagine how the space could work again for movement, play, or connection. Share where you went, how you got there, and what you’d “match” it with if you could redraw the board.

18. Roll the Dice: New-To-You Public Spaces

It’s a player favorite! Treat this square like a game of chance. Use public or active transportation to visit a new-to-you park (including dog parks!), playground, recreation center, senior center, or library. Once you arrive, roll the dice (or pick a number 1–6) and try that many things: test play structures (like the slide at MLK Library!), sit on benches, walk loops, browse shelves, or check out amenities. Think about how environmental stewardship and climate resilience—championed by groups like Sierra Club DC—shape access and care of our beloved public spaces.

19. Play Tourist (on Purpose) via Transit

It’s a new square! Play the city like it’s your first time here. Use public or active transportation to do something unapologetically touristy. Visit the Smithsonian, go to the National Zoo, wander the Mall, or finally check out the attraction you always tell visitors about but never do yourself. You can join the DC History Center for a pop-up, drop-in play hour and check out their Class Action exhibit exploring the history of education in DC. Lean into the bit: take photos, read the plaques, and enjoy seeing your city with fresh eyes. (Just don’t stand on the left on Metro escalators lol.)

20. Blueprint the Block: Play & Make Art for Accessibility

It’s a mash-up creator favorite! Play architect for a more accessible city. Use public or active transportation to visit a street, stop, or block and think about whether it works for everyone. Then imagine something better: sketch, chalk, photograph, or build a simple “blueprint” for a more accessible city. You can join TranspoBINGO queen Alex W. at her art-making and dreaming event to play, design, and reimagine a city that works for everyone.

21. Cosmic Transit: Stargaze & Wonder

It’s a new square! Look up and play with the universe. Use public or active transportation to go stargazing at a local spot, whether it’s a planetarium (like the Smithsonian’s Northrop Grumman Planetarium or the FREE National Park Service Planetarium), a community group like the National Capital Astronomers and the Mount Pleasant Sidewalk Astronomers bringing telescopes to the sidewalk, or a dark field near you, and let the night sky be your game board. As you transit to and from your stargazing spot, notice how the sky changes and share what you saw. This square is about curiosity, community, and the shared wonder of looking up.

22. I Spy: WMATA GM/Other Celeb on Transpo

It’s a player favorite! Keep your eyes open and your head up. Spot WMATA’s General Manager, your favorite Councilmember, Bill Nye the Science Guy, or another celebrity on public or active transportation. This square is about noticing who shares the system and recognizing public and active transportation as a service for all. Not finding anyone? Email your Councilmembers and encourage them to use public and active transportation.

23. Game Stats: Track Your Transpo Impact

It’s a player favorite! Every game ends with a stats screen, and this is yours. Track your personal transportation data during TranspoBINGO by tallying miles traveled on Metro, Capital Bikeshare, or on foot, and see how your non-car trips add up and reduce your carbon footprint. Check out Metro Rewind to replay your year: trips taken, carbon saved, and milestones unlocked. Want to go deeper? Join RideFlow DC to learn about their multimodal transportation app that provides real-time data on buses, bikes, bike racks, metros, and scooters to help DC residents navigate the city car-free or use goDCgo’s trip-tracking tool to measure your impact on sustainable travel. Celebrate your numbers, share your highlights, and reflect on how your everyday moves contribute to a more sustainable and climate-resilient future.

24. Mario Kart: Transport Something Weird Without a Car

It’s a player favorite! Ever dream of bringing a mattress on Metrobus or jugs of milk on your handlebars? Challenge yourself to carry something unusual while using active transportation! Bunch Bikes are a great option. Or check out WABA’s Cargo Bike Library, where you can borrow a cargo bike for free to experiment with hauling groceries, kids, pets, or anything else you can imagine. Take your bike on the bus or trainーit’s been easy since 2019, and it’s a fan favorite. Let us know how it worked for you, or try something new to see what you can transport in your daily trips!

25. Change Your Character: New-to-You Mode

Every game lets you switch characters; this one lets you switch how you move. Use public or active transportation in a new-to-you way: take a bus route you’ve never ridden, ride a Metro line you’ve never used, try Capital Bikeshare for the first time, or use a new-to-you electric bus, bike, or scooter. Want to make it social? Expand your biking by rolling with sponsors like Ward 5 Family Biking on their monthly family bike ride. Notice how changing your “character” changes the pace, the route, and what you notice along the way.

TranspoBINGO 2026 Prizes!

At the end of the week, please fill out the TranspoBINGO scorecard to share how many TranspoBINGO squares you completed, which ones you enjoyed, and how you challenged yourself. Prizes will be awarded at the Active Transit Social on February 12 at Atlas Brew Works – Bridge District for creativity, challenging yourself, and more, so the more details you provide, the better!

Join us at Atlas Brew Works – Bridge District on February 12 for an Active Transit Social and prizes, with food provided (while it lasts!).

Some of this year's prizes include:

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