Upgrade Your Commute with Bridj

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It’s official: Bridj has rolled into DC.

Starting yesterday — Monday, April 27 — a smarter mass transit system called Bridj quietly introduced its service in the District. Bridj wants to make your commute to work — and everywhere else you go — quicker, more comfortable, and more efficient. Cozier than the Metro or a city bus, and less expensive than a cab, Bridj delivers a fundamentally different way to travel through the city. It takes you and your neighbors from where you are to where you’re going, with a guaranteed seat, Wi-Fi, and no transfers.

This “smarter transit” is possible because Bridj predicts how the city moves. Its algorithms crunch millions of data points to see how residents of DC are traveling, and conforms to meet their needs. Because Bridj is demand-responsive, the best pick-up and drop-off locations are flexible and change to serve those who need a ride.

“As more people ride, the smarter Bridj gets,” says Ryan Kelly, Marketing Manager at Bridj. They’ve been operating in Boston for over a year, and have changed the way thousands of Bostonians get around their city. 

How It Works
It’s simple: download the app, tap in your destination and departure time (anywhere from minutes to days in advance), and choose one of the available trip options. Then take a short stroll to your designated pick-up point, which is typically no more than a five-minute walk away. You can track the progress of your Bridj in real time through the app, so you’re never stuck waiting for a ride that might not be coming any time soon.

During the first two weeks of the DC launch, Bridj will operate only in the morning, and for the time being service is being offered between the Dupont Circle and Capitol Hill areas. However, they plan to expand rapidly and if you are outside the initial zone, the service will track trip requests. The more people that sign up and tap in, the more likely service will be expanding to your neighborhood in the future as their algorithm takes this into account.

Free Rides
As an incentive to take a spin with Bridj, the first ten rides are free, using the code 10freefordc. After that, pricing moves to a $5 flat fee. “We’re also exploring a monthly membership option that could make Bridj even more affordable for daily users,” says Kelly.

Bridj, a clever cross between Uber and the city bus, provides a smarter option in the never-ending quest to get across town comfortably and inexpensively.