At National Harbor, commuting is a daily trial for service workers By car, he'd be home in less than 20 minutes. Instead, on the worst nights, his commute can take up to three hours. "It is tiring," Congona said on a recent night as he hurried to meet his ride to the Southern Avenue Metro station. Every day, I wish there was a bus that will make this commute easier. For many of the 6,000 people who work at National Harbor, commuting to and from the complex in southern Prince George's County is a daily trial. Hundreds of them work nights at National Harbor's six hotels and 30 restaurants, and they are among those most inconvenienced by the limited public transit. No Metro station is within walking distance. A Metrobus line, the NH-1, serves the development - but it stops running about 11 p.m. The county's small bus system runs a few trips to the complex, but only on weekdays. No bus connects to nearby Alexandria, home to many of the workers. With the opening of Tanger Outlets this fall at National Harbor and the possible arrival of a casino in 2016, the need for public transit is expected to grow. Officials say additional service is being considered, but for now most nights are a scramble from about 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. as hotel and restaurant workers emerge. Some gather at the bus stop on Waterfront Street to wait - not for a bus but for a ride home. Others sit outside the closed restaurants and stores, calling friends and relatives to come get them. "If you missed the 10:50 [p.m.] bus, you have to have a ride or money for a taxicab," said Lisa Steel, 29, a cook at Bond 45, a popular steakhouse. "And the cab fare costs an arm and a leg," she said while waiting for a ride outside the restaurant at 11:05 p.m. on a recent Tuesday. Some workers turn to walking, taxis or even gypsy cabs after long hours serving conventioneers, tourists and local patrons - 9 million of them in 2012. We don't work 9 to 5. We work when guests are in hotels, when they are in restaurants, when they are having a drink or a late-night snack," said John Boardman, executive secretary-treasurer of Unite Here Local 25, which represents about 1,000 workers, many of them at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. "We work at all hours a day, seven days a week," Boardman said. That has to be recognized if this site will continue to be the economic success that it has been thus far. Prince George's County and transportation officials say they know about the need for transportation at National Harbor. In employee surveys, Local 25 found that about two-thirds of the workers at the Gaylord National depend on public transit or a ride to work, Boardman said. "Given the importance of National Harbor to the region and Prince George's in particular, transportation options are critical," said Artis Hampshire-Cowan, the county's representative on Metro's board.