Bowser and DDOT are Leaving Circulator Riders and Workers Stranded

Today, ATU Local 689, the Union representing DC Circulator bus operators and mechanics called on DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to negotiate a settlement with WMATA to have them take over operation of Circulator instead of self-terminating the service.

“Mayor Bowser and DDOT assured the DC Council, Circulator riders, and the Union that there would be a transition to integrate Circulator into WMATA. Said plainly, that was a lie,” said ATU Local 689 President Raymond Jackson. “Responsibility falls on DDOT and the Mayor to reverse course and ensure those who depend on the Circulator every day are not forgotten. Accelerating the timetable for phase-out without a transition plan for workers, riders, and our city was reckless and cruel.”

As a member of the WMATA compact, the District has the authority to negotiate with WMATA to turn over Circulator service to MetroBus. Notably, WMATA has taken over bus systems and companies multiple times in the past, including when MetroBus was founded through the acquisition of four bus services in 1973. Likewise, WMATA has accepted negotiated structured settlements to bring in private sector transit workers as recently as 2020. Doing so would preserve routes, the fleet of electric buses, garage facilities, and a labor force that is ready and willing to work.

After all, DC Circulator was a service founded in joint venture between WMATA and DC Surface Transit. As such, returning DC Circulator service to WMATA would neither be unprecedented nor unfeasible. On the other hand, failing to do so would mean that riders who have relied on the service would be left without a viable alternative. Hundreds of workers who have served the District faithfully would see drastic cuts to wages even if they secured new work at WMATA without an agreement. These transit heroes deserve better from Mayor Bowser and DDOT.