Bus commuters share concerns over MTA proposed plan that cuts trips and routes
By Tommie Clark
Click here for updates on this story
BALTIMORE (WBAL) — The Maryland Transit Administration is considering major bus route changes that could impact people who commute from central Maryland to Washington, D.C.
At a hearing Thursday night, riders shared their concerns with the proposal.
“Cuts are reasonable, but not now and not to this level,” commuter Jeff Schreier said.
Schreier commutes from Laurel to Washington, D.C., twice a week for work. He takes an MTA bus from Columbia. It’s one of 26 that could soon see its routes reduced.
“Right now, I know that our agency and a lot of agencies are requiring people to come back now where they haven’t been historically, so they’re cutting them at the wrong time and they’re cutting too deeply. They should wait to see the impact of the new requirements in D.C. before they make the cuts,” Schreier said.
The Maryland Department of Transportation is facing a multi-billion-dollar deficit in their next budget cycle. Part of making up for that means the MTA has to figure out how to maintain services that match system-wide demand.
“I’m lucky in a sense that they’re not cutting this route all together. Some people are losing the route completely,” commuter from Columbia to Washington, D.C., Michael Folkerts said.
The proposed plan would discontinue service at eight routes and reduce trips at 26 starting July first. The MTA said ridership has changed since the pandemic.
Before the pandemic, commuter buses operated 635 trips across 36 routes with an average daily ridership of 12,000. Post-pandemic, it’s 599 trips across the same routes with just 5,100 people a day.
Some riders said traffic is back to pre-pandemic levels and the proposed plan will not be effective.
“By cutting these lines, you’re only putting more cars on the road and it’s only making everything worse,” Folkerts said.
The MTA told 11 News in a statement, “In January, the Maryland Transit Administration announce proposed reductions in commuter bus service in response to the unprecedented structural financial deficit in state transportation funding. Public input is an important part of any service change process, and we encourage the public to share feedback on the proposal. Following the conclusion of the public hearings, the agency will incorporate feedback received to determine a final plan for commuter bus service that will provide mobility options to residents within the current service area, prioritizes access to job centers and meets budgetary constraints.”
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
