DC Circulator

DC Circulator was a downtown circulator bus system in Washington, D.C. It is owned by a public-private partnership of the DC Department of Transit, WMATA, and DC Surface Transit. Operations are contracted to RATP Dev. Service was discontinued on December 31, 2024.

History

DC Circulator was initially proposed under a report by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) in 1997. DC Circulator was founded in July 2005 between a partnership between the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and DC Surface Transit, Inc. (DCST). Operations were originally contracted to First Transit before being replaced by RATP Dev in 2018.

In April 2024, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed to end all DC Circulator service as part of a plan to close a $700 million budget shortfall in DC. Later on July 29, 2024, the District Department of Transportation announced they will end all DC Circulator routes effective December 31, 2024. Beginning on October 1, 2024, all routes will operate every 20 minutes, the Rosslyn-Dupont Circle Line will be eliminated, late-night service on Woodley Park-Adams Morgan and Georgetown-Union Station lines will be eliminated, and the remaining routes will end service at 9 p.m. daily, rather than midnight. The announcement cited decreasing ridership and transportation budget cuts as the reasons for ending the service. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced they will add additional service to three routes and create a brand new route to replace some of the DC Circulator routes.

Routes

• Georgetown – Union Station; Replaced by an extended WMATA Route 31/33 in December 2024.
• Woodley Park – Adams Morgan – McPherson Square Metro; Replaced by additional WMATA Route 54 service in December 2024.
• Eastern Market – L’Enfant Plaza
• Rosslyn – Georgetown – Dupont; Replaced by additional WMATA Route 38B weekend service in October 2024.
• Congress Heights – Union Station via Barracks Row; Replaced by a new WMATA Route C25 in December 2024.
• National Mall Route

Former Routes

• Convention Center – SW Waterfront. Replaced by WMATA route 74 on September 25, 2011.
• Potomac Ave Metro – Skyland via Barracks Row. Replaced by Congress Heights – Union Station via Barracks Row route on June 24, 2018.
• Smithsonian – National Gallery of Art. Replaced by National Mall route in 2015.
• Union Station – Navy Yard Metro. Replaced by Eastern Market – L’Enfant Plaza route on June 24, 2018.
• Zoo Express Line - Ran during summer 2019.

Final Bus Roster

Fleet Number(s)	Thumbnail	Build Date	Manufacturer	Model	Engine	Transmission	Notes
1130-1143		2009	Van Hool	A300K	Cummins ISB	Voith D854.5
2001-2018		2014-2015	NFI	XDE40	Cummins ISB6.7	BAE Systems HDS 200 hybrid system
2101-2126		2017	NFI	XD40	Cummins ISL9	Allison B400R	2016 models.
3001-3014		2017	Proterra	BE40	UQM HD220	Eaton EEV-72	Plug in electric buses. Entered limited service May 1, 2018.
3101		2022	Proterra	ZX5 40'	Parker GVM310-125	Eaton EEV-7202

Retired

Fleet Number(s)	Thumbnail	Build Date	Manufacturer	Model	Engine	Transmission	Notes
1101-1129		2003	Van Hool	A330	Cummins ISL	Voith D864.3E	2003-2004 models. Ex-AC Transit 1002, 1003, 1092, 1097, 1103-1105, 1107, 1111-1131. Retired by September 2017.
1144-1149		2010	Van Hool	A300L	Cummins ISL	Voith D864.5	Retired in 2018. View the series page for detailed disposition info.