Tag Archives: DDOT

Bus Photo of the Month: December 2024

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New Flyer XD40 2124

Location: Duke Ellington Bridge, Washington, DC
Operator of Vehicle: District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
Date of Photo: May 4, 2020

At the end of this month, the DC Circulator will cease operations after nearly 15 years of operation.  The service was started in July 2006 on two routes, with the goal of creating an “simple” and “easily navigable” bus system to supplement the existing Metrobus network.  In order to meet these goals, bus routes operated every 10 minutes around the clock on routes that connected major destinations around Downtown DC.  The system grew, often as select Metrobus routes were converted to Circulator operation to take advantage of lower subsidies and operating costs.  A National Mall route was also established following the discontinuation of the Tourmobile service that held the exclusive rights to offer guided tours within that area under a contract with the National Park Service.  

The discontinuation of the service can be attributed to several reasons.  Ridership has not rebounded since the Covid-19 pandemic, but arguably, many Circulator routes do not warrant 10 minute headways from early morning until late night (or 3 AM in the case of select routes on Friday and Saturday nights).  However, changing the headways was considered to be a non-starter on account of wanting the service to remain “simple.”  Furthermore, DDOT wished to have all eight wards of the city served by at least one route, a goal that was never achieved, but some wards simply do not have any activity generators that would warrant the level of service the Circulator committed to providing on all of its routes.

Service is currently running on 20 minute headways on five routes through December 31, 2024.  After that date, RATP DEV, which is the contracted operator for the service, will commence its final wind down procedures, such that the contract can be fully cancelled by March 2025.  

Have you ever taken the DC Circulator?

For more photos of the DC Circulator , please click here.  

Bus Photo of the Month: January 2020

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Proterra Catalyst 3001

Proterra Catalyst 3001

Location: New Hampshire Avenue at Sunderland Place, NW, Washington, DC
Operator of Vehicle: District Department of Transportation
Date of Photo: September 7, 2018

Yesterday, I shared a photo of a vehicle type that will not be serving passengers in the new decade.  Today, we will turn our focus towards the future and look at a vehicle that I expect to be serving more and more people in the next ten years.  

There has been a longstanding desire in the transit world to operate electric vehicles due to their energy efficiencies.  While electric powered trolley buses or trackless trollies have been around for many years, I think it is only recently that bus manufacturers have developed rubber tired battery powered vehicles that do not need to run under a wire all or most of the time.  Although 99 percent of the world’s electric buses currently operate in China, they are gradually becoming more widespread elsewhere.  While it is a far cry from the 421,000 electric buses in China as of 2019, there are about 300 electric buses serving transit agencies in the United States and that number is growing.  In fact, as of November 2019, American demand for electric buses has exceeded manufacturing capacity for the first time, and only five states (Arkansas, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia) do not have a single transit agency planning to procure electric buses if they have not done so already.

I’ll hopefully write about my first time on board one of DDOT’s Proterra electric buses that have been a part of the DC Circulator fleet since 2018 sometime soon.  But in the meantime, enjoy one of the first photos I took of an electric Circulator bus in late 2018.

Have you been on an electric bus yet?  If so, where was it and what did you think of it?  Post about it in the comments below!  

For more photos of DC Circulator Proterra buses, please click here.

 

Bus Photo of the Month: July 2019

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New Flyer XDE40 2015

New Flyer XDE40 2015

Location: Jefferson Drive and 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC
Operator of Vehicle: District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
Date of Photo: September 14, 2016

In just a few days, thousands will gather on the National Mall in Washington, DC to celebrate Independence Day.  Although it doesn’t operate on July 4th due to the various street closures along its route, the DC Circulator National Mall route is a great way to travel between the various museums and monuments that line the Mall.  It is also a great way to get photos of transit vehicles and those same landmarks in a single shot!  I took this photo in September 2016 because I was able to capture the bus itself using a classic 3/4 roster shot but also the Washington Monument in the background.  Although some other area bus operators have routes that travel near landmarks such as the Washington Monument and Capitol building, I think it is fair to say that Circulator has the most plentiful options for transit photography with these national landmarks.

For more photos of DC Circulator buses, please click here.

 

Bus Photo of the Month: March 2019

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CAF 5013

Van Hool A300K 1133

Location: M Street, NW at Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC
Operator of Vehicle: District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
Date of Photo: March 13, 2015

Yesterday’s post was about a DC area equipment type that is no longer operating.  Today’s post is about an equipment type that is still plying the streets of the nation’s capital nearly a year after it was expected to be retired.  When DDOT placed its new Proterra electric buses in to service about a year ago, it was assumed that the remaining Van Hool buses would be retired.  However, nearly 12 months after the Proterras’ debut, the “baby” Van Hools are still in service.  The Van Hools certainly aren’t my favorite bus type in the current DC Circulator fleet; I’d much rather see a New Flyer pull up instead (I have yet to ride a Proterra, but they don’t seem to be operating entire service days just yet).  But if you are a fan of a bus type that is rarely found in the United States or buses that seem to have nine lives, you may want to hunt down one of the Van Hool A300Ks while you have the chance.  Their days may be numbered, and one day that prediction will be right.

For more photos of DC Circulator buses, please click here.