Routes 42 and 43 begin at Mount Pleasant Street and 17th Street NW in Mount Pleasant, and head south on Mount Pleasant Street NW and Columbia Road NW until they arrive at an intersection with Connecticut Avenue NW and California Street NW. The routes turn southbound onto Connecticut Avenue, continuing south towards Dupont Circle. Route 42 travels around the circle, providing access to the Dupont Circle station on the Red Line at both Q Street and just south of the circle. Route 43 travels via the Connecticut Avenue underpass, bypassing these two stops as well as a northbound stop at R Street. The routes then continue to Farragut Square, traveling through Potomac Park before terminating at the Kennedy Center.
