WASHINGTON — The 2016 Cherry Blossom Festival will be the first to be served by D.C. Circulator bus service on the National Mall.
“To me, it’s a game-changer, it brings public transportation to what is arguably one of D.C.’s most popular events,” says spokesman Mike Litterst, of the National Park Service.
The National Mall Circulator route was launched last summer. Bus stops are as far west as the Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans Memorials and as far east as Union Station, with stops in between serving Smithsonian museums and areas popular for viewing cherry blossoms.
“It has a stop at the Tidal Basin. It has a stop in West Potomac Park. So it’s the usual circulator service — a dollar a ride,” Litterst says.
Paying with a SmarTrip card lets you get on and off the bus as much as you want within a two-hour timeframe.
SmarTrip card transfers from Metro buses are free within two hours. Transfers from Metrorail to the Circulator get discounts of 50 cents. Cash payments can’t be tracked, however, so riders using dollars or coins will pay $1 for each trip.
Service begins at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends. Through March 31, buses run until 7 p.m.
Starting in April, the Circulator National Mall route runs until 8 p.m.
