WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Nearly two weeks after being laid off, former DC Circulator employees are still trying to make sense of what happened.
“It’s been an up-and-down roller coaster really,” said Penny Mwangi, a former bus driver who received her notice on Sept. 30.
Mwangi was among the 90 employees who were laid off as the city began phasing out the service, which will end by Dec. 31.
She said she was offered one-week severance but must meet certain attendance criteria and have a clean driving record to receive it.
“What will one week do for me? Me and others, we have your condo to pay, your rent to pay, you just have the upkeep,” she explained.
Mwangi and a few other former employees rallied outside Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Northwest D.C. home on Wednesday, demanding answers from the District leader.
“The Mayor has been quiet, she doesn’t speak to us,” said Mwangi.
According to the District, ridership was down on the Circulator while costs continued to rise. That led to the decision to shut down the service.
Employees were originally told they’d work through March of 2025, but the city decided to end the service earlier, pushing the date to the end of 2024. The first round of layoffs began on Sept. 30.
Although Circulator employees believed they’d be transferred to work for WMATA, that isn’t the case. Employees were told to apply for positions with Metro, where they could be hired if they qualified. However, any seniority would be lost.
“It was all about politics and money,” said Darryl Hairston, a supervisor for the DC Circulator.
Hairston has worked for the agency for the last ten years.
“We did our job, we were professional. Everyone loved the Circulator. We took care of the inner community when Metro took care of the outside,” he said.
Hairston is pushing the Mayor to support a resolution passed by the city council that would give Circulator employees a financial payout, using money made through the sale of Circulator buses and equipment.
“They want to give us the money, you’re saying don’t give us the money,” he said. “I feel that her injustice behavior is causing us to be depressed.”
Several police officers were posted up outside of Bowser’s home, as the half dozen employees met outside. Bowser did not come out to speak with them.
DC News Now reached out to the Mayor’s Office for comment but has not heard back.
