Gray Proposes Doubling Circulator Fare

The DC Circulator System, best known for its cherry-red buses that ply the major thoroughfares of Washington, has been a unique success for a city plagued by transit problems, particularly below ground. For cash-strapped college students in particular, its $1 flat-fare for an unlimited number of rides has been particularly attractive, alongside a schedule that is considerably more frequent and reliably timely than most Metrobus routes. Since its creation in 2005, the system has been one of the few in the region to experience more ridership growth than cost increases.

DC Bikesharing Gets Expanded Service, New Look

In recent years the District Department of Transportation has made promoting bike use throughout the city a top priority, perhaps most visibly through its continuing construction of bike lanes on major thoroughfares such as Pennsylvania and New Hampshire Avenues. But in an upgrade to a previous small scale experiment, the DDOT is planning to take its enthusiasm for cyclists a step further: from providing paths for biking to the bikes themselves.

Many GW students have unknowingly passed a component of DC's previous bike sharing scheme, SmartBike DC, when walking up the west side of 23rd St near GWU Hospital; the long bicycle rack allowed paying members of the system to rent the red and white bikes. Those with access to the racks could "check out" the bicycles and ride them anywhere - so long as they were eventually parked in one of nine other sharing stations. At $40 a year, membership was comparatively cheap, yet the small scale of the 10-station, 100-bike network limited its utility to the few people who were within walking distance of the racks.

This limitation, however, is soon to change. Partnering with Public Bike System, manufacturer for Montreal and London's bike sharing programs, DDOT is replacing the current system with a new 110-station, 1,100 bike system named Capital Bikeshare. Along with expanded availability, the city is replacing the current fleet of worse-for-wear bikes with visibly stronger, more rugged models.

Instead of just one station, GW students will be within a stone's throw of four; in addition to the existing station outside GWU Hospital, more will be placed outside the headquarters of the American Red Cross, on 21st and Pennsylvania across the Park from Lindy's, and on 18th and H opposite Founding Farmers. Dupont Circle, U Street, Eastern Market, Capital Hill, and Adams Morgan are all served by one or more stations as well.

However, this increased access comes at a price. While the current promotional price for a 1-year membership is $50, this will eventually rise to $80. Corresponding monthly and daily Capital Bikeshare plans will also be somewhat more expensive than their SmartBike DC counterparts, but DDOT hopes that the vastly increased service will more than justify the hike. While the system doesn't officially open until the end of the September, as stations are still being installed, promotional-priced memberships, station maps, and additional information are available at www.capitalbikeshare.com.