The Latest Updates to DC Circulator Transition Plan
By • September 23, 2024 0 30
The DC Circulator transition out plan will now include enhanced metro bus service, according to a statement by Mayor Bowser and the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Sep 10.
The phase out will begin Oct 1 and be completed by Dec 31. The incoming elimination of the circulator is part of the WMATA 2025 Better Bus Network design, a plan made in collaboration with the DC Department of Transportation aiming to “ensure a seamless experience for DC Circulator customers, enhance service to key destinations, and provide additional capacity on routes that may experience crowding due to the shift of Circulator passengers to Metrobus.”
“By consolidating more bus transit under the Metrobus brand, we can strengthen the District’s overall transit network, avoid duplicative services, and operate more efficiently,” said Acting DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum. “These changes will allow our partners at WMATA to better serve thousands of bus riders while using resources more cost-effectively.”
As of October and December, the following interim route enhancements will be available through July 2025 when the new Bus Network Redesign routes are added.
However, the new routes have also caused controversy on the DC council, as Councilmember Charles Allen criticized the plan for its apparent focus on the Rosslyn and Georgetown areas over other parts of the city that share accessibility issues.
| Tentative Effective Date * |
Circulator Route | Proposed Metrobus Route Enhancements |
| October 2024 | Rosslyn-Dupont | Route 38B additional service between Rosslyn and Farragut Square during peak weekend hours to achieve 15-minute headways |
| December 2024 | Union Station – Congress Heights | A new Anacostia shuttle to Stanton/Pomeroy Street every 30 minutes |
| December 2024 | Woodley Park – McPherson | Routes 52/54 additional service on 14th Street NW between Colorado Avenue and Metro Center |
| December 2024 | Georgetown – Union Station | Merge routes 31 and 33 into a single route along H and I Streets NW through Franklin Square and extend via New York and Massachusetts Avenues to Union Station |
| December 2024 | L’Enfant – Eastern Market | No interim service adjustments provided. Western stops covered by Route 74; Central stops covered by Route P6; Eastern stops covered by Routes 90/92. Metrorail also provides service along the original Circulator route. |
| December 2024 | National Mall | No interim service adjustments provided. |
“This transition plan is better late than never, but it still leaves riders without a bus and drivers without a job. Based on what’s been shared, I’m frustrated that DDOT seems to have put more effort into improved headways for riders between Rosslyn and Georgetown than for riders living near Anacostia, Southwest, Eastern Market, or other routes. Long-term, we’ll need to see WMATA’s Better Bus project pick up most of the lost service. But in the short term – despite having more than a year to plan for a successful transition – it feels like we’re looking at a plan thrown together in the last couple of months that will leave students, residents, and workers without the transit they need.”
