Join us for a webinar on November 8 to learn more about the Ride On Reimagined draft network, and how you can share your thoughts on proposed changes!
Tag: moco better buses
Action Alert: Support More Frequent Bus Service for Montgomery County
Weigh in to tell Ride On that frequency must be a priority for high-quality bus service that gets people where they want to go, and share your thoughts on other proposed changes!
MoCo Better Buses Letter on Ride On Reimagined Study Outreach
The Montgomery Better Buses coalition members and other signatories are excited about the upcoming Ride On Reimagined Study and its potential to greatly improve bus service in Montgomery County.
CSG in the News: How a new transit network will improve transportation in western Montgomery County
“A lot of the job growth that we’ve seen is in the Great Seneca Science Corridor” is car-dependent, “so bringing better transit will help guide that growth in a direction that is more transit oriented.”
TAKE ACTION: The future of bus rapid transit in Montgomery County
CSG won Montgomery County’s 2013 Countywide Transit Corridors Plan, which envisioned a new Flash bus rapid transit (BRT) system along major roadways. We’ve advocated to implement the plan ever since, and this past month we won actual construction funding for BRT on Veirs Mill Road and MD-355 between Germantown and Rockville! These, along with other routes, are moving forward with planning, design, and construction.
BRT is a higher quality bus service that operates more frequently; has limited stops; runs in a dedicated bus-only median or curb lane; and offers features like all-door boarding, wi-fi, and off-board fare collection. Montgomery’s first Flash route opened along US-29, although it doesn’t have dedicated bus lanes (working on that!).
See below for many, many opportunity to get involved and provide input on the upcoming BRT projects! When providing input, we’d urge you to share the following:
- Prioritize median, dedicated bus-only lanes — this is the gold standard for BRT and keeps buses fast, reliable, and out of traffic
- Routes should connect the places where the most people live and work
- Bus stops should be easy and safe to access for people walking and biking
MD-355 (Rockville Pike)
The MD-355 will connect Clarksburg, Gaithersburg, Rockville, North Bethesda, and Bethesda. The project is in the preliminary engineering phase and seeking feedback. Residents from anywhere in the county can take the feedback survey.
Visit the MD-355 BRT project website
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New Hampshire Avenue
New Hampshire Avenue BRT would connect Colesville, White Oak, Adelphi, Silver Spring, and other communities along the corridor. This route is in the study stages, and they need community feedback on station locations and other features. Register for the online meeting, and/or arrive anytime during the open house hours!
Visit the New Hampshire Ave BRT project website
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North Bethesda Transitway
The North Bethesda Transitway will connect the Montgomery Mall Transit Center to either the White Flint or Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Station. The county want your input on the termini point and stop locations. Register for the June 9 or June 21 online open house, or attend the June 13 in-person open house.
Visit the North Bethesda BRT project website
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Sign up to testify for free fares!
Ride On bus fares in Montgomery County have been free since March 2020 and the Montgomery Better Buses coalition, organized by the Coalition for Smarter Growth, has won an extension of free fares four times. Right now, fares will stay free until June 2022. But we’d like to see free fares extended until at least October 2023, when the county’s study to redesign Ride On and Metrobus routes will be complete.
MoCo Better Buses FY23 Budget Letter
The Montgomery Better Buses coalition strongly urges you to support bus riders and transit workers in the FY23 operating budget, FY23 capital budget, and FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). Our coalition consists of nearly 30 groups, including labor, climate and transit advocates, service providers, and community organizations.
Montgomery County Better Buses: The Platform
The platform for the Montgomery County Better Buses Coalition.
ACTION ALERT: Take action to support funding for bus riders!
Our Montgomery Better Buses coalition of nearly 30 organizations is pushing for investments in Bus Rapid Transit construction, bus lanes, free fares, pre-pandemic service, and electrification.
Let’s keep Ride On free!
Did you know that Ride On has been free since March 2020? We’ve successfully advocated for the emergency free fare program to be extended twice, and now the County Council is going to decide whether or not to make it permanent.