D.C. is hoping to unclog one of its most popular entertainment districts with a new, on-demand electric shuttle service.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a $3 million investment in transportation options for The Wharf and Southwest Waterfront areas on Thursday.
"Making sure everybody can get to The Wharf, get around The Wharf and celebrate all that we have to offer in our enlivened waterfront," Bowser said.
Getting to and from The Wharf has been a challenge for drivers, with Maine Avenue overcrowded and parking costs as high as $60 a day. In 2021, more than 7 million people visited phase one of the development and the second phase recently opened.
The Wharf already has a dedicated free shuttle bus, the Circulator bus and other public transportation options, and it will soon have Circuit, an electric shuttle vans service.
"The service area will basically be the Southwest quadrant, right around The Wharf over to South Capitol Street and up to the National Mall," said John Falcicchio, D.C.'s deputy mayor of economic development.
Director of the D.C. Department of Transportation Everett Lott said the plan isn't to add more parking or lanes for cars, but to get people to take other transportation options.
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"Weβre trying to get people out of single-occupancy vehicles because of gas emissions and things like that. So, if we can provide other options β scooters, bikes, trails to walk on, then that creates the better opportunities, safer opportunities and it also creates a better environment," Lott said.
Circuit is already operating in other major cities across the U.S.
D.C. plans to subsidize the service so that some D.C. residents can ride for free, while others will pay a flat fee of around $2, Falcicchio said.
Falcicchio said Circuit will run at the peak hours of the day.
Circuit plans to launch in D.C. in the spring, and it might expand to include other neighborhoods in the city.