The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will be holding a series of public hearings and a 30-day public review and comment period on proposed reductions to its Commuter Bus service. The service reduction, which would go into effect July 1, 2024, is in response to the unprecedented structural financial deficit in state transportation funding recently declared by MDOT. An additional infusion of funding allocated by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore from the Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal will enable the MTA to maintain Commuter Bus service at a reduced level rather than eliminate it in its entirety.
“We recognize that the Commuter Bus service reduction will have a significant impact on many Marylanders,” said Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold. “We encourage riders to visit our website to learn about alternate transit options.”
The Maryland Transit Administration’s Commuter Bus service connects riders traveling from the suburbs to job centers in the metropolitan Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C., region. MDOT MTA notes pre COVID-19, Commuter Bus operated 635 trips across 36 routes, with an average daily ridership of 12,000. Post-pandemic, Commuter Bus operates 599 trips across 36 routes, with average daily ridership of 5,100, or 43 percent of the pre-pandemic average daily ridership.
The proposed changes focus on maintaining access across all regions where Commuter Bus currently operates. MDOT MTA used ridership data and considered equity and both existing and potential access when creating the service reduction plan.
The agency will hold five public hearings (three virtual and two in-person) on the proposed changes between March 18 and March 27, 2024, and will accept public comments through April 29, 2024.
The routes affected by the proposed changes, as well as information on the public hearings, can be found on MDOT MTA’s website.
