(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, National Park Service Acting Superintendent Karen Cucurullo and District Department of Transportation Director Leif Dormsjo announced that the DC Circulator will begin passenger service along the National Mall this Sunday, June 14, 2015.
The route will begin at Union Station, travel along Louisiana Avenue, NE, and loop around the National Mall via Madison Drive, SW; Constitution Avenue, NW; West Basin Drive, SW; Ohio Drive, SW; and Jefferson Drive, SW. The service has 15 stops, steps away from the most popular District attractions including the Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of American History, National Gallery of Art and the US Capitol.
“Improving and diversifying transportation options in the District of Columbia remains a top priority of my administration,” said Mayor Bowser. “The DC Circulator’s expansion is a win for the District, its residents and visitors as a sustainable solution for moving people around the National Mall and into our unique and diverse neighborhoods. This route will provide people with greater access to the nation’s most iconic monuments, memorials and museums while boosting economic activity in the District.”
“The National Park Service is proud to partner with DC Circulator to provide reliable, low-cost transportation around the National Mall and Memorial Parks for our more than 29 million annual visitors, and to provide them with a connection to points throughout the city,” said National Mall and Memorial Parks Acting Superintendent Cucurullo. “And with the added benefit of addressing ongoing issues of traffic congestion, lack of parking and air quality, its benefits extend far beyond the boundaries of the National Mall.”
Currently, the DC Circulator provides service on five convenient routes throughout the District at a fare of $1, with buses arriving every 10 minutes. The DC Circulator is the product of a partnership between the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), First Transit and DC Surface Transit, Inc. DC Circulator will continue to expand links to cultural, entertainment and business destinations within the city's central core and other District neighborhoods.
Expansion of the DC Circulator service along the National Mall is the result of collaboration among DDOT, the National Park Service and DC Surface Transit, Inc. Through this partnership, DC Circulator bus service will be providing visitors, commuters and residents door-to-door transportation to more than 25 museums, monuments and memorials along the National Mall.
“Connecting the National Mall to the rest of the city with affordable, convenient surface transit was the impetus for launching DC Circulator service in 2005,” said DC Surface Transit President Richard H. Bradley. “Opening our local economy with this service to the millions of tourists who visit the National Mall each year is a win for both the city and for the visitor experience in Washington, D.C.”
“DDOT is pleased to launch DC Circulator’s National Mall route, a transit need that tourists and residents have wanted for years. We are committed to continuing to provide safe and reliable bus transit for all District residents and visitors,” said DDOT Director Leif Dormsjo.