Sharraxaadda

Yesterday in wake of earthquake, I headed to bus stop after hearing tails of woe on the Metro. At 10 & PA Ave NW, I sat waiting for the 37 for over an hour watching as several buses allegedly came and went ... at least according to the vaunted "Next Bus" service that allegedly relays GPS-based feedback from actual buses. Their phone info service was down, too, making my only source of information the bus driver who was sitting a half-block away in a running ... but not moving ... bus that stayed perpetually out of service. When I asked him what he was doing, the driver said he was a "standby bus."
What exactly could WMATA have had him standing by for, if not to cover routes like mine that were not being covered?