DC Metro by Eli Duke licensed under Creative Commons.

Local business owners, workers, unions, and officials rallied Wednesday for Metro to extend its late-night rail service.

The rally, led by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, came hours after her office released a report detailing the District’s economic dependency on its nightlife, and how it has been hindered by curtailed Metro hours.

According to the report, bars and restaurants that operate late into the evening are responsible for $7.1 billion in economic activity in DC annually and pay $562 million in taxes to the District government. Additionally, DC has 2,400 restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and performance venues, totaling 65,000 employees.

Workers in the late-night economy are particularly hard hit by Metro’s early closing hours. According to Bowser’s report, 71% of DC’s nightlife workers have shifts starting after 5 pm, and 24% start work after 9 pm.

In addition to nightlife workers, the report says shorter Metro hours hurt employees at hotels, hospitals, sports venues, as well as others who work late, such as custodians and security guards.

“We need to get around safely, and our workers need to get to and from work,” Bowser said at the rally, which was held at a fire station across the street from WMATA headquarters. “These workers help us welcome 20 million visitors to Washington, DC each and every year. They staff our hospitals, maintain our offices, keep the lights on in Congress, bring us concerts and theater, and support all of our sports venues as well. These workers are the lifeblood of Washington, DC.”

The study found that 54% of DC’s nightlife workers do not live in the District. “Maryland and Virginia should recognize that their workers have been left behind by shortening Metro’s hours,” Bowser said at the rally.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Ward 4 DC Councilmember Brandon Todd (left) at a rally for late-night Metro rail service to be restored.  Image by the author.

WMATA’s proposed budget would restore some of the late-night hours eliminated in 2016. The rail system would stay open until midnight Monday through Thursday (an additional 30 minutes) and until 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays (an hour later).

But Bowser says Metro should return to the service hours from 2016, before Metro’s closing times were moved earlier to allow workers more time for maintenance of the rail system. The 2016 changes moved Metro’s closing time from 3 am on Fridays and Saturdays to midnight. In 2017, closing times moved to 1 am on Friday and Saturday, and from midnight to 11:30 pm during the week.

Kamal Ali, owner of Ben’s Chili Bowl, said the limited Metro hours have reduced his sales 30%. “I don’t need a survey to know that sales are down. I don’t need a survey to tell me my customer experience is down, that my workers’ experience is down and service, in general, is down,” he said at the rally.

WMATA’s budget proposal would allow free transfers between bus and rail, which would help many of the late-night workers who would benefit from expanded Metro hours.

At the same time the rally was held, the WMATA board opened a public hearing to get feedback on the budget proposal. It was the third public budget hearing, with one Monday in Arlington and another Tuesday in New Carrollton.

The board is expected to finalize the budget this spring, with any service changes taking effect on July 1.