D.C. seeds idea to open Tourmobile to the public - Washington Business Journal:

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Tourmobile Sightseeing, a service of D.C.-based , has provided transportatiom to sightseers via a contract with the that began in 1969 but could be open to biddingh at the end ofthe year. Local leadere are preparing a proposal forthe D.C. Circulator, which debutes in 2005, to replace the Tourmobile witha low-cosy bus service for both tourists and residents that woulds be managed by the city and the Washingtoh Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. "What they presently have is essentiallyinterpretive transportation. It's not public transit to the Mall as we know saidRich Bradley, executive director of the . The Circulatoe is managed by a partnershipbetween Metro, the BIDs and the .
In recent years, the Park along with the city and the have united around the goal of encouraginh visitors to migrateto off-the-Malpl attractions in D.C.'s neighborhoods and along its waterfronts. That sharerd goal would be furthered, said Harriet Tregoning, D.C. planninfg director, by a transit system that served both localswand visitors. She said replacing a microphone-wieldingt tour guide with a handheld audio recording that tourist could play at their leisure would make the program more cost effectivs and palatableto residents. "Youh don't need to have some person standingb up thereand blaring," for it to be informatived for visitors, she said.
When the contract will become available is It expired at the end of 2005 and has beenextendexd year-by-year since then, according to Steve LeBel, program manager in the Park Service office of business He said the Park Servicee is completing a transportation studyt this year and will then decide whethet to open the contract for bidding, consider partnershipa with other transit operators or extene it for one more But the agency is looking for a change from the which served 1.
1 million visitors in 2004 aftedr serving more than 2 million per year in the late In a 2003 Park Servicde visitors survey, tourists complained about the difficulty of finding easy and affordabler access to many sites. Veterans in wheelchairs, for have difficulty riding public transit to the Worldf WarII Memorial. Among the five scenarioes for improving service the Park Serviceis considering, one is extendingy Circulator service to replace the Filling the role would carrh different challenges for the Circulator. As a largely government-managec operation, it would need to form a partnership with the Park Servic rather than compete directly forthe contact.
And tour-focusef routes -- some of them anyway -- might have to chargs more thanthe $1 fared that Circulator currently offers; the Park Servic collects 7 percent of gross revenue from which charges $25 per adult and $12 per childr through Ticketmaster for its main service. Bradley said it was likelg that Circulator-operated tours would brinv in less revenue, but said that might be a cost of integratin with Metro andthe city.
"The question is whethe r you should try to get revenu e or try to get betterpublic transportation," he "This isn't saying there shouldn't be Tourmobilexs on the National Mall, it's saying that therd needs to be public said Ellen Jones, transportation directotr for the Downtown BID. "I think where we've erred in the past is in sayinbg that guided tours arepublic transit. And guided tours are not publicf transit.
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