(Washington, DC) Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Department of For-Hire Vehicles (DFHV) announced the expansion of its DC Neighborhood Connect service within parts of Northwest and Northeast Washington. The service now includes the Fort Lincoln neighborhood and the Shops at Dakota Crossing in Ward 5 and the NoMa-Gallaudet University Metro Station in Ward 6.
“DC Neighborhood Connect was created to provide more transit options and improve transportation equity for our residents,” said Mayor Bowser. “With this expansion, residents have more options to travel to amenities and Metro stations where they can enjoy and take advantage of all that our city has to offer.”
DC Neighborhood Connect is a “microtransit” service that allows riders to get picked up and dropped off close to their destination. Unlike a bus, microtransit doesn’t pick up a large number of riders in a wide area with regular stops. Instead, customers use an app or their phones to call DC Neighborhood Connect, and a van comes to pick them up within designated areas and takes them to locations within that area.
“DC Neighborhood Connect gives residents in Wards 1, 4, 5 and 8 one more way to reach jobs, education, buy healthy foods, reach health care, and get to their destinations easily and affordably,” said DFHV Director David Do. “Thanks to Mayor Bowser’s investments in the program, now residents have more opportunities and options that they can easily reach.”
In 2021, Mayor Bowser invested $1.034 million to both continue the program and expand it to new areas. For 2022, the Mayor added an additional investment of $1.7 million to continue the program; her proposed FY 23 Fair Shot budget proposes to maintain that level of funding.
In adding the expansion, DFHV adjusted the boundaries of DC Neighborhood Connect service zones. A new Zone 1 is bordered by Georgia Avenue, Eastern Avenue, and Michigan Avenue (including parts of Wards 4 and 5). A new Zone 2 is bordered by Georgia Avenue, Florida Avenue, Bladensburg Road, and Eastern Avenue (including parts of Wards 1, 4 and 5). Residents traveling to and from Washington Hospital Center or the Brookland Metro Station are able to cross Zones 1 and 2. Zone 3 serves Ward 8 East of the Anacostia River.
To use DC Neighborhood Connect, residents and visitors can download the app from the Apple App Store and Google Play, or call (202) 398-0500 to get a ride.
DC Neighborhood Connect service has been provided for free since July 2021.
To learn more about the program including service maps and links to the app, please visit dcneighborhoodconnect.com.
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