After rider backlash, Maryland changes course to retain all MTA commuter bus routes

The state has acceded to public demand to retain all 36 of its commuter bus routes but at reduced frequencies, the Maryland Department of Transportation and Maryland Transit Administration said in a news release Wednesday.

In February the department said it would cut eight routes and reduce service on 26 more, including 10 in the Baltimore region.

“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,” Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold said in the release. “Our updated schedule balances our riders’ need for reliable public transit with available funding levels.”

The agency said in the release that it received nearly 830 public comments at a handful of public hearings between Feb. 1 and April 29.

The department said a new schedule will go into effect July 1 that has a decrease in bus trips across all routes while retaining the current span of service hours and geographic coverage. Ridership is at 43% of pre-pandemic levels, the department said in the release.

In December, Gov. Wes Moore said the state would reduce $3.3 billion in planned transportation spending over the next six years. The department said in February that daily ridership had dropped from 12,000 to 5,100 before and after the pandemic.

The proposed cuts would have discontinued service on eight routes: Columbia to Bethesda, Annapolis to Washington, Kent Island to Washington, Severna Park and Davidsonville to Washington, Churchville to Baltimore, Hickory to Baltimore, Pindell to Washington, and Prince Frederick and Dunkirk to Suitland,and Washington.