Residents of Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore are breathing a collective sigh of relief following the Maryland Transit Administration’s decision to preserve service on their commuter bus routes to Washington.
In January, the transit agency released a proposal that would have discontinued service on eight routes that the MTA believed to be low performing, including three lines into Washington from Annapolis, Kent Island, and Severna Park/ Davidsonville, drawing opposition from longtime commuters. Other routes were slated for reductions.
The public outcry resulted in the MTA retaining all 36 commuter bus routes at reduced frequencies. The new service schedule will take effect July 1.
“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 a news release Wednesday. “Our updated schedule balances our riders’ need for reliable public transit with available funding levels.”
The proposal to reduce commuter bus service came as the state tried to erase an expected $3.3 billion transportation budget shortfall. At first, the MTA anticipated eliminating the commuter bus service entirely. But in January, Gov. Wes Moore said he planned to restore $150 million of the anticipated cuts, including $28 million of a proposed $64 million cut to the commuter bus service.
The agency received more than 800 comments on the proposed cuts at public hearings between February and April. More than 400 people also signed a letter opposing the MTA’s proposal to cut the bus routes from Anne Arundel County and Kent Island into Washington.
Under the new service schedule, there will be seven morning bus trips from Annapolis to Washington, compared to 12 trips now. Those buses will leave the last stop in Annapolis, the Harry S. Truman Park and Ride, at less frequent intervals — every 30 minutes between 5:15 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. as opposed to the current 15 minutes.
The number of buses leaving Washington in the afternoon and evening also will be reduced.
For commuters heading out of the city around lunchtime, bus schedules will remain the same, traversing the K Street corridor before heading to Annapolis and Kent Island.
Those leaving at 3 p.m. or later, however, will need to readjust their schedules to accommodate the less frequent trips. Buses will leave the city every 30 minutes instead of every 15 minutes, with the last trip leaving Washington at 6:30 p.m.
For Arnold resident Mary Ellen Anderson, a six-year commuter bus rider, her morning trip to K Street will remain the same, but her commute home in the afternoon has changed slightly with the reduction in service.
“That is unfortunate,” she wrote in a message to The Capital. “But to still have my bus at all is phenomenal!! I’ll deal with the extra 15 [minutes].”
Annapolis Alderman Brooks Schandelmeier, a Democrat from Ward 5, will also have to deal with the later departure times during his afternoon commute, modifying a trip he’s taken for the last 10 years. However, if he needs to get home earlier, Schandelmeier said, he would likely drive from Annapolis to New Carrollton and take the Metro or MARC train.
“But all in all, this is good,” he said in a text message. “I’m just happy the routes continue!”
Riders who catch the bus from Kent Island to Washington also will see longer intervals between buses in the morning. That route was reduced from five trips to three in the morning, now leaving once every hour between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. instead of every 30 minutes.
The number of afternoon trips across the Bay Bridge also was reduced as part of the plan. The last two buses out of the city depart just over an hour apart, as well.
Though Dan Garrett’s commute from the Kent Narrows Park and Ride into Washington will not be impacted by the timing changes, the Sudlersville resident is grateful that the MTA preserved the service.
Garrett, who has commuted into the city from northern Queen Anne’s County for 27 years, said that if the transit agency had stuck with its original proposal to cut the routes, it would have undone the numerous milestones, such as adding more buses, that have been achieved for riders on the Eastern Shore over the last two decades. Keeping the routes, he said, was the right decision.
“I can live where I live and I can do what I do and make the kind of money that I make, all because of the commuter bus service,” he said. “It’s a godsend for me.”
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