A Message from Montgomery County re Ride On Bus Service

A note from Montgomery County re Ride On Bus Service

Montgomery County is forced to make difficult budget decisions to close a $250 million projected budget shortfall in fiscal year 2010. The County Executive directed every Department in the County to propose savings in order to meet the goal of reducing the County current year budget by $50 million. Ride On service cuts are a possibility. The services listed below are being proposed for change and/or elimination because of their weak performance. Concurrently, routing changes that do not cause an increase in expenditures would be made.

Montgomery County Ride On Transit hereby notifies the general public and other interested parties that a public forum will be held on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 starting at 6:30 pm and ending after the last speaker at the Executive Office Building, Lobby Auditorium, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville, Maryland. For additional information pertaining to the public forum, please click on the links below the summary of reductions. Comments may be e-mailed to: mcdot.rideonbus@montgomerycountymd.gov or faxed to 240-777-7801 by 5:00 pm on January 21, 2009. If you are interested in speaking at the public forum, you must e-mail on or before January 6, 2009, your name, home address, city, state, zip, telephone number, and organization to Carolyn G. Biggins, Chief, Division of Transit Services, 101 Monroe Street, 5th Floor, Rockville, Maryland 20850 and bring two (2) printed copies of your testimony for the record.

A summary of the proposed service reductions and route changes are below. Please forward this e-mail to the various homeowners associations that you are affiliated so that they are aware of the proposed service reductions. Also, this information was mailed to you today, December 12, 2008. The detailed notification flyer may be viewed by clicking on the links in English and Spanish.

Proposed Reductions

1. Route 4 Eliminate weekday midday - 10 am to 1:30 pm
2. Route 6 Eliminate weekday midday - 10 am to 1:30 pm
3. Route 18 Reduce weekday midday frequencies between Takoma Park & Langley Park from 15 to 30 minutes.
4. Route 26 Eliminate Saturday and Sunday service to Trolley Museum
5. Route 43 Reduce weekday midday frequencies from 20 to 30 minutes (10 am – 2:30 pm)
6. Route 63 Abbreviated midday service, with service to the County Health Department on Piccard Drive maintained.
7. Route 75 Weekday service will be rerouted to the County Correctional Center, Clarksburg Town Center & Gateway Business Park. Service north of MD 121 to the Urbana Park & Ride will be discontinued.
8. Routes 79/82 – Routes combined. Route 79 extended to Clarksburg Town Center via Skylark Drive weekday peak hours replacing Route #82. Bus service eliminated to DOE and through the Milestone neighborhood north of Father Hurley Boulevard.
9. Route 83 Reduce weekday peak frequency from 15 to 20 minutes (approximately 5 am to 9 am and 3:30 pm to 7 pm)
10. Route 90 Eliminate Saturday service. Eliminate weekday midday service between Damascus and Milestone.
11. Route 96 Eliminate weekday PM peak service to Montgomery Mall. Service will be discontinued to Montgomery Mall after 4 pm. Service will be retained between Grosvenor Station & Rockledge/Rock Spring
12. Route 98 Reduce weekday peak frequency from 15 to 30 minutes 5:30 am to 9:00 am and 4 pm to 7 pm.

Route Changes

1. Route 18 Implement a diversion to serve Elizabeth House.
All trips to/from Silver Spring by way of Second Avenue will be modified.
(Weekday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm & Saturday 11:30 am – 4:00 pm).

2. Route 98 Implement a diversion to Churchill Senior Center, approximately 10 AM to 10 PM Mon-Fri.

Ride On’s website: www.Rideonbus.com

Links for FY09 Public Forum Notice:

English link: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/DOT/transit/routesandschedules/brochures/pubforum12-8-08-8hx11.pdf

Spanish link: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/DOT/transit/routesandschedules/brochures/pubforum12-8-08-spanish.pdf

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Carolyn A. Jones, Manager
Customer and Community Relations Unit
Ride On Transit
Division of Transit Services
101 Monroe Street, 5th Floor
Rockville, Maryland 20850
240-777-5800
e-mail address: mcdot.rideonbus@montgomerycountymd.gov