The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is slated to begin offering overnight bus service on some of its routes starting Dec. 17, the agency announced Thursday.

The 13 routes selected for overnight service span all eight wards of D.C., and are the most used routes in the city, according to the D.C. Council, which is offering $12 million to fund the service expansion.

The service would go slightly into Maryland, stopping at the Red Line Metrorail station in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Currently, the 13 routes run every 12 minutes or faster between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. and every 30 minutes from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Depending on the route, there is no bus service between 2 a.m. and either 4 a.m. or 5 a.m., according to WMATA’s summary about the overnight service expansion.

Under the new plan, the document states, buses on the 13 routes will run as currently normal between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., and then run every 20 minutes from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.

As part of offering overnight service, WMATA wants to hire 75 new employees, including 37 drivers and seven Metro Transit Police officers.

The plan also calls for increased police presence at bus hubs and on bus lines, including having more MTPD officers on midnight shifts.

The plan has yet to be made final and voted on by the WMATA Board of Directors, which is reviewing the planning document at its board meeting Thursday.

A vote is expected sometime before December, according to DCist.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.