MTA proposes commuter bus route reduction due to "unprecedented" lack of funding
BALTIMORE -- The Maryland Transportation Authority proposed a reduction of commuter bus routes due to an "unprecedented structural financial deficit in state transportation funding," the agency said Wednesday.
The proposed changes would discontinue bus service on eight routes and reduce the total number of trips on 26 others—a move that is expected to impact commuters across the state.
Columbia, Maryland, is one of the areas that will feel the most amount of impact from the proposed route reductions.
On Thursday, WJZ spoke with commuters who expressed distress because their options for getting to work are limited. Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft are expensive, and getting a ride from a friend or family member is difficult due to rising gas prices.
For them, the commuter bus service is vital.
"It stresses me out because it's, like, how am I going to get home or how am I going to get to work," Howard County resident Jackson Sanchez said.
The Commuter Bus service connects riders traveling from the suburbs to job centers in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. region.
In Columbia, the 203 route to Bethesda would be discontinued while four other routes would see a reduced number of trips.
"That's a very big problem, and I'm going to tell you why," Howard County resident Brittany Watkins said. "Like myself, a lot of people work federally, and if you have to go to Bethesda, you've got to be there on time."
The service reduction is in response to a structural financial deficit in state transportation funding, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation's Maryland Transit Administration.
Maryland Transit Administration anticipated eliminating the Commuter Bus service entirely, but funding from the Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal will enable the service to operate at a reduced level through 2024.
"We are ensuring that we are restoring in every area that currently has Commuter Bus there will still be at least one option for folks," Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold said. "They may have to change how and when they commute, but those options are still going to be there."
The proposed service changes would discontinue service on the following eight routes:
203 – Columbia to Bethesda
220 – Annapolis to Washington, D.C.
240 – Kent Island to Washington, D.C.
260 – Severna Park & Davidsonville to Washington, D.C.
410 – Churchville to Baltimore
411 – Hickory to Hopkins Hospital/Baltimore
810 – Pindell to Washington, D.C.
850 – Prince Frederick/Dunkirk to Suitland/Washington, D.C.
The proposed service changes would reduce the total number of trips on the following 26 routes:
201–Gaithersburg Park & Ride to BWI Marshall Airport
204 – Frederick to College Park
210 – Kent Island to Annapolis/Baltimore
230 – Annapolis/Severna Park to Washington, D.C.
305 – Columbia/Silver Spring to Washington, D.C.
310 – Columbia to Baltimore
315 – Columbia/Silver Spring to Washington, D.C.
320 – Laurel to Baltimore
325 – Columbia/Silver Spring to Washington, D.C.
335 – Clarksville/Columbia to Washington, D.C.
345 – Ellicott City/Columbia to Washington, D.C.
420 – Hickory to Hopkins Hospital/Baltimore
505 – Hagerstown to Shady Grove/Rock Spring
515 – Frederick to Shady Grove/Rock Spring
610 – Waldorf to Washington, D.C.
620 – Waldorf to Washington, D.C.
630 – La Plata/Waldorf to Washington, D.C.
640 – Waldorf/Accokeek to Washington, D.C.
650 – La Plata, Waldorf /Accokeek to Washington, D.C.
705 – Charlotte Hall/Waldorf to Washington, D.C.
715 – Charlotte Hall/Waldorf to Washington, D.C.
725 – California/Charlotte Hall to Washington, D.C.
735 – Charlotte Hall/Waldorf to Washington, D.C.
820 – North Beach/PG Equestrian Center to Washington, D.C.
830 – Sunderland/Dunkirk to Washington, D.C.
840 – St. Leonard/ Prince Frederick to Washington, D.C.
The MTA is set to hold five public hearings on the proposed changes between March 18 and March 27, and will accept public comments through April 29, 2024.
For more information on how to participate in a public hearing, along with the list of proposed service modifications, you can visit the MTA Commuter Bus 2024 webpage.