RIP N22: New Circulator Woes

Photo courtesy of
‘Bus Signs’
courtesy of ‘FredoAlvarez’

The new Circulator routes, which promise easier and faster transport between Columbia Heights-K St./Woodley Park-McPherson Square, launched this week. The Columbia Heights route has been long-anticipated and the switch seemed to hold promise. The change also, however, replaced the 98 and N22 bus routes, leaving us wondering, really, why?

The N22 route Circulator is essentially the same route, except it eliminates many of the stops of the N22, including several between the Capitol Building and Union Station. My friend and co-worker takes this bus and has been 15 minutes late everyday since the Circulator began. Not only is the commute from Barracks Row to Union Station longer, the stops now promise a longer walk on both ends AND while the Circulator professes to stop every 10 minutes, the wait has been closer to 25 minutes, every day. 

It’s still early – they could definitely still be working out the kinks. Has anyone else’s commute been disrupted by the switch? Better or worse?

Acacia has lived in DC since graduating from Vassar College with degrees in English and Italian. She cries daily at the thought of her imminent departure from this beloved city, as she will begin a Fulbright teaching grant in the Campania region, Italy come October. She’ll be blogging that experience too. Get at her: acaciaO@welovedc.com or follow her on twitter.

5 thoughts on “RIP N22: New Circulator Woes”

  1. I live on K St and the Union Station-Georgetown Circulator is rarely a 10 minute wait. I stood with groceries last Saturday waiting about 30 minutes easily. I’ve only taken the Circulator in Navy Yard one a few days ago, but it was a much shorter wait. It was lunch time and my co-workers and I were the only riders. Hope they get the ridership to keep it going!

  2. If the circulator has ever actually met its 10 minute frequency goal then I am the King of Spain.

    Even on K street that soul crushing time incierator rarely makes it every 20 minutes. And why anyone would want to get across town to Union Station on a bus that takes 30 minutes rather than the metro which takes 10 is a total effing mystery to me.

  3. I find the K street trip to be super fast and convenient, coming by Union Station every 5-7 minutes. But it seems like there are some kinks to work out with the new route, I wonder if it is because of the traffic patterns on that route?

  4. Well the glory is the circulator is only $1 for as far as you go, right? So if you have no time constraints, it’s a win on the time v. money spectrum. But when you’re trying to get someplace on time, it seems like a bust. I only take the circulator when i have an hour to kill waiting/riding.

  5. the Circulator from Woodly Park metro is already having the same problems as the 98 did: while you stand waiting at the bus stop there are 2 buses parked behind the metro with the drivers having a chat.