Bus Service

Montgomery County takes pride in one of the country's finest suburban bus networks. Good bus and rail transit, coupled with planning that encourages development around Metro stations, is why our traffic problems don't match the horrific congestion of Fairfax County. And bus service boosts the local economy, alleviating the labor shortages that plague employers in the allegedly business-friendly Virginia suburbs. Despite the heavy investments in our bus system, it still falls far short of meeting the county's transportation needs. Too often, buses are confusing and inconvenient. Waits between buses are too long; buses rarely go straight to one's destination without transfers; clear schedules and maps are rarely posted at bus stops; and riders are confused when different providers serve the same route. Increasing the total amount of bus service is essential, but if new funding is used just to add more routes like those we already have, these weaknesses will limit growth in ridership.

Current news - ACT fighting Ride-On cutbacks

An ACT press release first alerted the public to proposed cutbacks in Ride-On service that were announced on the Friday afternoon before Christmas. Public pressure led the County Council to preserve Ride-On Route 75 (Shady Grove to Clarksburg and Urbana) and the Kids Ride Free program.

Strong public pressure continues to preserve Route 37 (Grosvenor to Potomac) and 127 (Montgomery College shuttle). Contact your County Council representatives at county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov to oppose these cuts.

What Needs To Be Done?

Bus priorities

While buses cannot adequately substitute for rail on high-volume corridors like those to be served by the Purple Line and Corridor Cities transitway, it is possible to use concepts of so-called "bus rapid transit" to upgrade bus service on other routes. Montgomery County transportation planners envisage a comprehensive system of bus improvements to speed up buses on heavily traveled roads like Veirs Mill Road, Randolph Road, and University Boulevard. The heart of this plan is a series of "queue-jumper" lanes that allow buses to bypass traffic backups at red lights. ACT strongly supports this concept. Unfortunately, the first of these projects, on Veirs Mill Road -- which is among the most heavily traveled bus corridors in the county, with buses already carrying as many people as one lane of auto traffic -- was rejected by the State Highway Administration after a single bypass was built at Aspen Hill Road. SHA is building turn lanes for automobiles in place of the bus bypass lanes.

More Information at Bus Stops

Clear, accurate information about schedules and routes is needed by current bus riders - and it is essential if we are to attract more riders. Large investments are being made in electronic displays at a few stops, but meanwhile most bus stops in Montgomery County now have no timetable at all, and where information is posted, it is often inadequate. Both systems need to make a substantial investment of funds and management attention in the unglamorous but very important area of posting timetables at stops.

Back to Basics

Perhaps the only thing that all sides in the transportation and development wars agree on is that the more people ride buses, the better. But Montgomery County is much better at grand ideas than down-to-earth solutions. We have forgotten a basic principle -- most people won't ride the bus unless it goes where they want to go when they want to get there.

Information on Existing Bus Service

Ride-On Bus

The Ride-On Bus system is administered by the Montgomery County Department of Public Works & Transportation's Transit Services Division.

General information about Ride On

Ride On timetables

Metrobus

The Metro Bus system is an area-wide system managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

General information about Metrobus and WMATA

Metrobus timetables

Return to ACT home page

This page was updated February 25 2008.