Montgomery County, OC Transpo launching redesigned bus networks

Montgomery County, Md., and OC Transpo in Ottawa, Ontario, are redesigning their transit networks to better fit rider needs.

Montgomery County

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will begin rolling out its redesigned bus network this year. The changes come following the completion of the Ride On Reimagined Bus Service and Implementation Plan, which MCDOT says took more than two years of research, planning, coordination and development.

The Ride On Reimagined Bus Service and Implementation Plan examined the transit landscape of Montgomery County, including MCDOT Ride On and Metrobus service. According to MCDOT, Ride On currently operates more than 80 bus routes, many of which have been unchanged since their implementation in the 1970s, making this redesign a vital process to better align with the current and future needs of riders.

MCDOT notes the implementation of the Ride On Reimagined Service and Implementation Plan will take place in phases over the next several years, transforming Ride On bus service.

Year one: Immediate changes (June 29, 2025)

The first phase of implementation focuses on changes that will immediately improve service for thousands of riders:

New and adjusted routes: Route realignments will reduce redundancy and improve efficiency.
Great Seneca Transit Network (GSTN): Ride On extRa Lime and Pink routes launched in fall 2024 as phase 1 of the GSTN.
Service enhancements within current budget: Improvements will focus on increasing service frequency and optimizing routes without requiring additional funding beyond the current budget allocations
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and local transit integration: Coordination with WMATA's Better Bus Network year one changes.

Year five: Network expansion (2030)

Montgomery County says that byyear five, Ride On bus service will have a visibly restructured route network for better coverage and efficiency. According to the county, year five network changes progress as resources become available and are dependent on a funding increase of five percent per year after year one:

Bus rapid transit (BRT) expansion and new connections: Implementation of MCDOT's Flash MD 355 (phase one) and Viers Mill Road BRT projects.
Purple Line: Expected completion and full operation by year five.
Ride On Flex service: Eight new proposed Flex microtransit zones, providing on-demand, flexible travel options for areas with lower ridership demand.
Route modification: Several routes will have changes for more direct connections to reduce travel times and expand weekend service.

The Vision Network: Full growth

The county says the Vision Network represents the full, ideal build out of its transit network with all possible proposed improvements implemented. According to the county, progress is dependent on the availability of funding and will be implemented in phases as new funding sources become available.

Seamless regional transit integration: Stronger coordination with WMATA and Maryland Transit Administration to ensure a connected transit network.
BRT system: Full implementation of the Flash BRT network along high demand corridors with eight new BRT lines and four new high-capacity Ride On extRa lines.
New Ride On Flex zones: Expansion of Ride On's Flex service through 19 new Flex zones throughout Montgomery County.
Upgraded frequencies: More than 30 routes will have improved weekday frequencies and 38 routes will have improved weekend frequencies.
New weekend service: 26 routes will have new weekend service.
GSTN: GSTN will be fully implemented.
Access: The county says the proposed Ride On Vision Network increases access and improves travel times to key destinations throughout the county. According to the county, currently, 130,000 people can access Wheaton Station within 30 minutes using transit at 8:00 a.m. on weekdays. The Vision Network increases access to Wheaton Station to 303,000 people – a 142 percent increase.

MCDOT’s Ride On Reimagined Final Report can be found on Montgomery County’s website.

OC Transpo

OC Transpo’s bus network redesign is set to launch April 27. The agency says the new bus network, New Ways to Bus, will focus on frequency, local service and connections to key destinations.

According to OC Transpo, New Ways to Bus includes more than 100 routes. The new network is a key part of OC Transpo’s five-year roadmap and is based on the results of the 2023 Bus Route Review. New Ways to Bus meets the council-approved transit services budget and is a big step towards the agency’s goal of increasing bus service reliability to 99.5 percent, alongside the Bus Maintenance Action Plan and ongoing employee recruitment efforts.

OC Transpo notes New Ways to Bus features:

27 frequent routes that run seven days a week, including every 15 minutes or less during the weekdays.
58 Local routes designed to take riders to neighborhood destinations and transit hubs where riders can connect with frequent routes and the extended O-Train network.
17 Connexion routes that provide fast, peak-period connections to the O-Train.

In addition to fewer Connexion routes, OC Transpo says some routes will be retired due to low ridership and to improve connections to new routes and the O-Train. Retired routes will be replaced with alternative service nearby.

OC Transpo notes that bus route symbol and colors, also known as service types, will be updated to reflect the New Ways to Bus network. The agency says several bus stops required maintenance changes to reflect the new network and notes all future New Ways to Bus signs will have durable covers placed over them. According to the agency, the new covers will have the current bus service information printed on them, ensuring there is no confusion between the current and future bus routes.

More information on the New Ways to Bus network can be found on OC Tranpo’s website.