DC Circulator bus: What to know about the mayor's shutdown proposal

“They need to keep it. Keep it! Keep the Circulator!” longtime Circulator bus rider Darius Sneed shouted.

There’s frustration and even some anger in D.C. with plans to possibly shut down Circulator bus service.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said the plan is just one of the major cuts that could be necessary to close a big budget gap for the next fiscal year.

The iconic red, yellow and silver buses began running in 2005. Nearly 20 years later, the engines could turn off for good as part of a plan to close a $700 million budget shortfall in D.C.

Part of the problem, according to D.C. officials, is that ridership on the Circulator hasn’t returned to where it was pre-pandemic. Bike share and scooters have become more popular since the pandemic, further taking riders away from the Circulator.

Taking a look at some bus stops on Monday, few people were waiting to catch a ride.

Bus rider Ella Louise Darrell said the city shouldn’t take away the Circulator. She thought back to days of better bus service in the District.

“It was D.C. Transit when I came here in ’59 and they were very good and They came every 10 minutes. And now it’s a mess with Metro and the buses are filthy dirty,” she said.

Sources with direct knowledge of the plan for the buses say Metro could possibly assume some of the responsibility for the Circulator routes. The Circulator started with two routes and has now expanded to five that crisscross the city.

The buses are expensive assets that likely would not just be put away; someone would have to buy them.

DC District Department of Transportation Director Sharon Kershbaum told News4 during a recent interview that the District remains committed to expanding bus service overall.

“We are all in on supporting our bus network. We have built about 12 miles of priority bus lanes, and we are on the path to build about 25 over the next few years,” she said.

One major impact: Riding the Circulator costs just $1. Metrobus rides start at $2.

The D.C. Council will have just over two months to consider and vote on the mayor’s budget.