Southwest residents scramble for other options
December 31 will mark the end of the DC Circulator. Courtesy of Fredo Vasquez
By Leonard Bechtel
When the DC Circulator’s Eastern Market to L’Enfant Plaza bus completes its route on December 31, it will be the last stop for the familiar bus. Earlier this year, the DC Government decided not to fund the neighborhood Circulator buses in 2025 and beyond. This decision will force many Southwest residents to change their commuting option for getting to work, school, medical visits and the grocery store. While plans are underway to mitigate the disruption caused by the Circulator cancellation, those plans will not be implemented by January 1, leaving a major gap of public transportation during the winter months and rainy spring seasons.
On November 21, 2024, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board of Directors approved a plan to overhaul the Metrobus system, which they dubbed the Better Bus Network. While not directly related to the Circulator cancellation, this plan seeks to rename routes, eliminate approximately 500 underused bus stops, and create new routes that better serve the community. The new and reconfigured routes likely will not be in place until late spring 2025 at the earliest.
“While I understand that the District would like to gain the greatest benefit from every tax dollar, the sequencing of the bus transition may severely impact the neighborhood’s older residents in the short term,” said Pam Troutman, the executive director of Waterfront Village, a local non-profit which supports older adults. “Many of our neighbors aged 65 and older do not own automobiles and rely on public transportation to get to their doctors’ offices, buy groceries or visit their grandchildren.”
Troutman said she is worried that adverse weather and mobility challenges will be more likely to prevent older residents from leaving their homes. She added that recent experience under COVID-19 shutdowns demonstrated the negative impact of social isolation on both physical and mental health.
“My biggest fear is that the gap in service may have unintended consequences on the health and wellbeing of older neighbors who have come to rely on the service,” Troutman said.
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen has advocated for public transit riders in Southwest, Anacostia and Capitol Hill by actively providing input on proposed routes and criticizing the late-breaking transition plan. Allen also hosted several neighborhood town hall meetings to give Ward 6 residents a chance to directly comment on the Better Bus plan.
“The mayor did not provide the time for a solution. Originally, the Circulator routes were supposed to run through the spring [of 2025], but she accelerated the Circulator schedule,” Allen said. “Yet another example of how lack of planning is leaving people out in the cold.”
Older adults still may access other transportation options. For example, MetroAccess and the Circuit can be used by those with mobility issues for transportation to medical appointments and to get around the neighborhood, Allen said. He added that although no additional resources have been provided for MetroAccess to help with the transition, there are no current capacity issues and those with mobility challenges should still be able to secure ride appointments.
School-aged children who use the Circulator to get to and from school also will be impacted by the gap in service. With the Circulator routes no longer available, students may be walking a greater distance in the dark getting to and from school, adding additional safety risk. Allen said that both Metro subway lines and buses still can get students close to schools, although they may not be as convenient.
Other Southwest residents also are beginning to look at alternative modes of transportation. Among the options will be higher utilization of the Circuit, a microbus system that has been operating as a transportation pilot program for just over a year, in partnership with the Southwest Business Improvement District (SWBID).
“I think that the Circuit program has proven that there is utility to having a small-distance transportation system that connects people within the community to local businesses and existing transportation systems, including the Metro subway system,” said Lexie Albe, SWBID’s deputy executive director and its primary liaison with Circuit management. “I think it has the potential to soften the impact for some but certainly not all of the Circulator riders.”
Albe noted that the local Circulator buses stick to a set route, carry many more patrons and cover a much longer distance than the Circuit does. Importantly, she added that the future of the Circuit also may be in jeopardy due to funding. Circuit revenue is generated by user fees and contributions from other sources, including the DC government.
“Rates charged to riders do not come close to supporting the full cost of the Circuit. We are fortunate to have funding through spring 2025, but we must develop a long-term financing plan.”
At least for 2025, the District has included funding in its budget for micro mobility options like Circuit, according to Allen, but the District’s contribution alone will not keep the Circuit afloat.
Allen believes that WMATA’s Better Bus Network, once in place, will help residents get to where they need to go. For Southwest residents, there will be a new route that combines the Circulator and WMATA Bus 74 routes that will reinstate service for former riders of the Circulator route when it is available in mid-2025.
“I do think that once the Better Bus plan is available, some things will improve,” Allen said. “There’s just nothing we can do right now to make those new Metro bus lines happen quicker.”.
Information about the Better Bus plan and the final approved routes can be found at: Resources | WMATA.