The city-funded D.C. Circulator bus service is meeting ridership goals after just one year and is being widely hailed as a success, officials said.
The service, which began on July 10, 2005, provided 1.6 million trips in the past year. Daily ridership has increased to an estimated 7,000 riders, up from just 1,000 six months ago, said D.C. Department of Transportation spokesman Eric Linden. The service, which started with two routes connecting Union Station to Georgetown and the Shaw neighborhood to the Southwest Waterfront, has averaged a 9 percent increase every month, Linden said. Officials said they didn’t expect to hit the 7,000 mark for 18 months.
The service, which charges a $1 fare, is a public-private partnership between DDOT, Metro and D.C. Surface Transit, Inc. DDOT owns the service, Metro manages the service and a private contractor operates the service, officials said.
The biggest ridership increased occurred when a loop circling the National Mall opened in March. Ridership jumped from 122,152 in February to 171,229 in March.
“We’re thrilled with the public’s response to the Circulator and the ridership growth rate,” said Michelle Pourciau, acting director of DDOT. “Three-dollar-a-gallon gas is making people rethink their travel behavior, making the high-quality and easy-to-use Circulator extremely attractive and ‘cool’ during hot summer days.”
A recent DDOT survey showed 50 percent of riders transfer to the Circulator from another transit system and that 60 percent of riders were District residents. To help bring new customers onto the buses, bulk and multi-day tickets will now be offered.
The service, which costs the city $5.5 million to operate, was touted as an inexpensive option to fill gaps in the city’s transportation network. Officials say the system is doing just that, with the highest ridership numbers occurring during the morning and evening rush hours.
