Fares on the D.C. Circulator could soon double, the first fare increase in the bus system’s six-year history. The District Department of Transportation is calling for the bus service to charge $2 per trip for cash rides. Under the plan, those using plastic SmarTrip farecards would pay $1.50.
Riders now pay just $1 per trip, a convenient fare because no coins are needed. It also makes the D.C. Circulator popular because that rate undercuts the fares on Metrobus.
The proposed increase would equalize the fares, though, so both buses cost $1.50 for SmarTrip users. It also would make the Circulator more expensive for cash-paying riders, who would then pay 30 cents more than if taking a Metrobus.
| Want to go? |
| A public meeting about the D.C. Circulator’s future will be held Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Ohio Room of the Capitol Hilton Hotel, 1001 16th St. NW. |
| Who rides? |
| » 80 percent of D.C. Circulator riders live in the District, 10 percent live in Maryland and 3 percent in Virginia. |
| » Riders tend to be younger than Metrobus riders, with 55 percent between the ages of 18 and 35 compared to 30 percent on Metrobus. |
| » Circulator riders are also slightly better educated, with 61 percent having at least a college degree compared to Metrobus’ 56 percent. |
The proposal is expected to bring in an extra $1.1 million in revenue, according to a DDOT draft study. DDOT spokesman John Lisle said it’s unlikely that the fare increases would begin before October, when the city’s new budget begins. The timing also depends on the city’s $320 million budget gap, he said, and what needs to be done to close it.
Like nearly all forms of transportation, the city currently subsidizes every ride on the Circulator buses, paying an average of $2.31 per rider on top of every $1 fare.
The bus service launched in 2005 and has become quite popular, expanding from two looping routes to six routes covering 35 miles.
The Circulator has grown in part because it’s relatively easy to take. The lines don’t operate on a set schedule like Metrobus, running instead 10 minutes apart, so riders don’t need to look up arrival times.
In reality, though, the buses run “on time” within 15-minute intervals or less just 77 percent of the time, according to DDOT.
Still, the buses provided 4.8 million trips last year and City Council members have clamored to add new lines in their wards.
The city decided earlier this month to cut the Smithsonian-National Mall route due to low ridership, but it is hoping to add several additional lines by 2020. The city is hosting a public meeting on Thursday to outline its plans for the bus service.
