WOW. It seems like everyone has gotten into this one. As near as I can tell, Metroblogging DC started it all a week ago with this post, "DC Circulating Joke." Yesterday, DCist summed it all up with "Transit on Tuesday." Since no one has yet proven Godwin's Law, I'm not done.Unlike Metro bus drivers, Circulator drivers are not city employees and are not unionized – meaning they are likely underpaid and have fewer benefits than their unionized sisters and brothers. Look, I'm glad that there are new jobs out there, but all too often, privatizing is union-busting.
And why do we need a bus with a higher price tag than the ones we've got? For the shiny red paint and the oversized windows? I've been riding buses for 40 years. A bus is a bus is a bus. Near as I can tell, the only difference is some come with padded seats, some don't.
Buses take people from point A to point B. They are designed to be functional. And in many DC neighborhoods, they're the only way to get around if you don't have a car and don't want to spend the cab fare. But I'm not telling anyone not to ride – there isn't going to be a Circulator boycott or anything. Just remember shiny new red buses make visitors as well as union-busting profiteers happy. Please consider the company you keep.
By the way, does anybody have the details on that 1960s lawsuit whose settlement funded the Circulator? I was wondering if it's related to a civil rights action, since it was over public transit at a time when similar suits were filed in many other cities. Thanks!