A D.C. council member is advocating to include a $2 surcharge on rideshare trips, hoping to encourage more people to use public transit and decrease traffic congestion.
Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau is leading the effort to get the plan included in the District’s upcoming budget. She says the plan would help revitalize downtown D.C. by prioritizing public transit while also reducing pollution and noise.
That fee would be added to rides to downtown and nearby neighborhoods from 7 a.m. to noon, and then to trips out of those same areas from noon to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
“This will generate about $10 million in the first year, which will only cover the overnight bus,” Nadeau said, referring to the 24-hour bus service on at least 12 of D.C.’s busiest lines that the surcharge revenue would fund.
Mayor Muriel Bowser called the plan a “terrible idea,” saying it would hurt efforts to reenergize downtown D.C.
“Actually charging people to come downtown, extra, is the antithesis to a comeback,” Bowser said.
Council Chairman Phil Mendelson will now decide whether to include it in his budget. The first vote is expected to happen next month.
