MDOT MTA preserving commuter bus service on all 36 routes

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) is preserving commuter bus service on all 36 routes. The agency will retain service on all routes at reduced frequencies to connect riders from the suburbs to job centers in the metropolitan Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C., region. The new schedules will go into effect on July 1. 

Certain commuter bus routes were set to be halted due to constraints in MDOT’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget. The MTA held five public hearings and a 30-day comment period to gather feedback from the public on the previously proposed changes to commuter bus service. The agency received nearly 830 comments from riders and other stakeholders between Feb. 1 and April 29. 

“Due to overwhelming feedback from commuters and a strong commitment to funding our transportation systems by the Moore-Miller Administration and the General Assembly, the commuter bus system will remain intact,” said Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold. “Our updated schedule balances our riders’ need for reliable public transit with available funding levels.” 

The updated service plan includes a decrease in the number of commuter bus trips across all routes while retaining the current span of service hours and geographic coverage. MTA says schedule adjustments have been designed to align with updated commuting patterns and ridership, which stands at 43 percent of pre-pandemic levels. The agency will continue to monitor ridership and plans to adjust schedules as demand changes. 

The new schedules can be found at MTA’s website.