DC Streetcar coming to a final stop after a decade on the H Street corridor

It’s the end of an era for D.C.’s H Street corridor. The DC Streetcar is ending service for good after offering free rides to the public along the stretch for the past decade.

“That’s terrible that it’s closing because it really helped the city a lot. It really did. You know, getting to and fro, it’s on time, it’s convenient, never crowded, never had to stand up on it,” streetcar rider Robert Davis told News4.

But in the end, that might have been part of the streetcar’s downfall – the fact that hardly anyone rode it.

“I mean, you know, it’s a free ride, but it doesn’t offer much. It doesn’t go nowhere for the money they have spent on it,” one woman told News4. “This is taxpayers’ money. We have to do better with the money.”

District leaders have criticized the streetcar, saying it costs too much, gets stuck in traffic and serves stops that not a lot of people need to go to.

“It just was not thought through. And so it doomed from the start because of lack of planning and lack of follow through with some of the support that was needed,” D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson said.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has said the city is exploring an electric bus alternative. In the meantime, Metro’s D20 bus travels the same route as the streetcar.

“Guess I’ll revert back to the buses. I’m on public transportation, so, I don’t drive,” Davis said.