Starting  next month, those bright red buses with yellow accents will start disappearing from D.C. streets. After nearly 20 years, the D.C. Circulator will be completely gone by the end of the year.

On a recent weekday morning, I rode three of the Circulator’s 6 bus routes across the city, from Dupont Circle to Rosslyn, from Georgetown to Union Station, and from Union Station to Congress Heights. Several riders told me that the end of the Circulator will add more time to their commutes. Kyle Parker, who uses the Circulator to get to to construction jobs around the city, says the Circulator gives him more options when wait times for Metrobus are too long. *“*The Circulator pretty much do a good job just being in between the routes,” says Parker.

WMATA released a plan last week to expand Metrobus service to cover the gaps caused by the elimination. However, many riders, particularly those who rely on Circulator routes in the southern quadrants of the city, will still miss out.

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