Tell us, D.C. streetcar: Will you be carrying passengers by the end of the year?

This afternoon, a streetcar testing along the H Street-Benning Road route made contact with an X2 Metrobus, according to a preliminary report. Metro spokesperson Dan Stessel confirms to City Desk that a bus at 7th and H streets NE was “struck in the rear” around 12:16 p.m. “No injuries [have been] reported at this time,” Stessel added.

The bus appears to have been traveling in the eastbound left lane of H Street NE when a vehicle in front of it stopped short. Swerving to avoid hitting that vehicle, the bus operator instead made “minor contact with the mirror of the streetcar in the right lane,” according to Stessel. The bus was an articulated, or 60-foot-long, model.

City Desk reached out to the District Department of Transportation, which oversees the streetcar, and will update this post if we hear back.

Until then, enjoy this social-media commentary:

Update 3:12 p.m.: DDOT spokesperson Terry Owens tells City Desk that the streetcar was running simulated service with only an operator on board when the incident occurred. “[The Metropolitan Police Department] is investigating the cause of the incident,” he added. “The scene has been cleared and the simulated service has resumed.” Both the bus and the streetcar suffered “minor damage.”

Photo via D.C. Streetcar/Flickr