Crosstown D.C. Bus Service Starting for a Buck a Ride

The Circulator could help take the pressure off an overburdened subway, said Tangherlini, who represents the District on Metro's board of directors. "We are running out of capacity on the rail system," he said. "Are there people taking a one- or two-stop train ride who could be on the bus instead?"

Projected daily ridership is 4,478 on the north-south line and 9,170 on the east-west line by 2008. The District, federal government and private sector are sharing the $6 million in operating subsidies for the next fiscal year.

First Transit, a private transportation company that runs the DASH system in Alexandria and the shuttle buses at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, will operate the Circulator.

Tangherlini said the District decided against having Metro provide the new service because First Transit could do the job for less -- $57 for one hour of service per bus compared to $76 charged by Metro, he said. Metro will manage the service for $519,000 a year.

The Circulator buses, manufactured in Belgium by VanHool, are 40 feet long. They are the same length as a standard Metrobus, but similarities end there.

The buses are low-floor throughout, so passengers step from the curb the way they would board a subway train. The black, red and gray interior has fewer seats than a Metrobus and more room for standees. In the center is a large area with room for two wheelchairs. The Circulator buses have tall windows, including a large rear window, giving the bus an airy feeling and enabling passengers to survey the passing scenes.

Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at vending machines at 13 of the 51 stops on the routes. Checkers will randomly ask for tickets on buses; riders without one can face up to $60 in fines, Sternlieb said. The Circulator will also accept cash, SmarTrip cards and Metro transfers. Rides will be free for the first week.

If the service is successful, the District and its partners plan additional routes.

Georgetown businesses started a similarly innovative but much smaller bus service in 2002 that shuttles between the Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom and Rosslyn Metro stations and Georgetown. It has proved highly popular.

Not everyone is enthusiastic about the Circulator. Tom Mack, owner and general manager of Tourmobile Inc., said the Circulator is a threat to his buses. "I don't believe federal monies should be used in similar operations in competition with private industry," said Mack, whose company has held exclusive rights to provide the sightseeing transportation on the Mall under agreements with the National Park Service dating to 1969. The average adult fare is $20 for the day.

But Tangherlini said the Circulator offers a service that differs from Tourmobile's. "This is easy and cheap and comfortable and designed to get people where they need to go," he said.