Deborah Jackson lives in an apartment complex not far from the Anacostia Metro Station in Ward 8 in Southeast.
She doesn’t own a car so she uses the DC Circulator bus system — she hops on at the Anacostia Metro — when she can go shopping, visit friends or attend church. She will also utilize the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) buses, if needed.
When Jackson heard that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed shutting down The Circulator system, she wasn’t happy.
“That was a bad decision,” Jackson, 68, said at the DC Circulator’s Anacostia Metro’s stop on April 20.
The proposal to shut down the Circulator is in order to close a $700 million gap in Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget. However, residents like Jackson and others– particularly those living east of the Anacostia River — are concerned that lawmakers aren’t taking into account just how critical the bus is for transportation.
“The Circulator is more reliable than the WMATA buses,” Jackson told The Informer. “They are more convenient for me.”
A Short History of the Circulator
The Circulator bus system was born out of a desire of city governmental and business leaders in the mid-1990s to have a small transit system that could get residents and tourists around the downtown areas quicker than WMATA buses.
The District-based Circulators began running in 2005 and are generally identified by their red, yellow and silver colors, although there have also been special cherry blossom-themed and LGBTQIA+ pride buses in the past.
Initially starting with two routes, The Circulator presently runs five routes that go across the city, including the Union Station-Congress Heights line that Jackson rides.
The Circulator costs $1 to ride, while WMATA buses charge $2.
D.C. Council Hearing
The Circulator came up as a major topic of a hearing of the D.C. Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment, chaired by Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) on April 11. Allen discussed the fate of The Circulator as the first major item of the mayor’s budget with Sharon Kershbaum, acting director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT).
“We had to make some compromises and are focusing on those programs that we believe will add the most value to our transportation network,” Kershbaum told the committee in regards to cuts. “Perhaps the biggest change will be The Circulator program.”
She shared the plans for the buses through next spring, and explained how the District will work to expand Metro’s public transportation services once losing The DC Circulator.
“We are proposing to operate the network through March 2025, at which point we will transition to WMATA and implement an augmented Metrobus service to replace Circulator service,” Kershbaum explained. “Mobility is a strategic goal because this is the heart of operating in an urban environment, offering multimodal options [so] all residents and visitors can easily and safely travel on foot by transit or by bike.”
Kershbaum admitted the DC Circulator has provided reliable customer service and “has done much to get District residents and visitors around the city.” However, she said ridership has not rebounded since the coronavirus pandemic era as much as other modes of transportation and the cost to operate the network is unsustainable.
The acting director of Transportation said the Bowser administration will work with WMATA to see if the shuttered Circulator routes can be absorbed so ridership won’t be impacted or have minimal impact.
The D.C. Council, which votes on Bowser’s budget in May, has the power to restore full or partial funding to the Circulator, as well as go along with the mayor’s proposal to close it.
‘Keep The Circulator Going‘
Jackson said she likes riding The Circulator because she finds it is a pleasant experience.
“The drivers are on time with their stops, and they are more courteous than the regular Metro drivers,” she said.
When asked if the council should restore funding to the program, she said “most definitely.”
Shakira Darden was on her way to the Congress Heights station from the Anacostia Metro, taking the Circulator, when she shook her head, learning about the possible closing of the system.
“That is crazy,” Darden, 22, said. “Tell them not to do it. You see people use it.”
Ritiya Hudson said the Circulator goes places where WMATA often misses.
“The Circulator does different routes,” Hudson told The Informer at the Anacostia Metro station. “You can ride the Circulator from here, go to Congress Heights on the street close to Martha’s Table and then that will take you to The Shops at Park Village and then to the station. WMATA has buses go that route but not directly like the Circulator does.”
Hudson said the Circulator is more comfortable than the WMATA buses and has better Wi-Fi service.
“If anything, they should provide more resources for it,” she said.