By Micha Green
With the high cost of living, rising Metro prices and demand for reliable transportation in D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser is on a campaign to offer a permanent free option to get around the city- The Circulator.
Currently free to riders through a special program offered by the Mayor’s Office, Bowser is now pushing the #KeepCirculatorFree crusade.
Through tweets and heartfelt testimonies on social media, Bowser is heavily advocating for free circulator and in the process she’s letting D.C. speak.
“Well [there are] so many reasons. I don’t know if I have time, but I can get to where I want to go faster because it doesn’t stop at every stop,” one woman said in a video posted by the Mayor’s Twitter account. “And also, if I am on the Metro, sometimes I don’t have enough money to pay, because of two-hour windows of using transfers, it’s awful. And a lot of times I pray that the bus driver doesn’t send me off the bus because I don’t have enough money on my Smart Trip, but the Circulator, I found out where it goes and I just catch it on the spot.”
Another testimonial video featured a man who said he uses the Circulator get around several places in D.C., including, Capitol Hill, Union Station, Dupont Circle and Georgetown.
“I just want to thank Mayor Bowser and everyone involved in the expansion and the continued utilization of the circulator,” he said. “I certainly enjoy that we’re getting complimentary service right now, and I didn’t anticipate that it was going to be as long as it’s turning out to be, but since it is, thank you very much. And please, please keep it rolling.”
The Mayor even posted screenshots of people’s Facebook comments regarding the benefits of free Circulator.
“When I was in shelter, using this Bus Service was a huge blessing in my budget plan. Thanks again Ma’am for all your hard work. Helping constituents, such as myself, to be self-sufficient,” a woman named Robin wrote on Facebook, according to the reposted photo from the mayor.
This article originally appeared in The Afro.
