D.C. Circulator bus route to ease National Mall trek for tourists

No longer will weary tourists who underestimate the length of the National Mall be left to tiredly trek back and forth between monuments. 

Starting Sunday, there will be a more humane option. That is when a D.C. Circulator route encompassing the Mall goes live — just in time for the start of summer. 

The route will begin at Union Station and make stops at 15 locations along the Mall, the Lincoln Memorial and the Tidal Basin. Buses will run every 10 minutes from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.

This will be the sixth Circulator route in the District. A route along theMall was discontinued in 2011. Officials said that bus line did not perform well because of its infrequent service and its route. 

“The new National Mall service will offer highly visible and frequent service along a prominent route that is fully integrated into the larger local and regional transit network,” the D.C. Department of Transportation said in a statement.

The cost to ride the National Mall Circulator is $1, and riders who pay using SmarTrip cards will be able to jump back onto the bus free of charge for two hours from the time of their first boarding. 

D.C. officials are hosting a ribbon-cutting for the route Friday morning.