Ride On (bus)
Ride On is the primary public transportation system in Montgomery County, Maryland. Ride On serves Montgomery County as well as the community of Langley Park in Prince George's County and Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. In fiscal 2018, it operated on a US$112.3 million budget.
Ride On operates 81 routes, including operating two Metrobus routes on weekends.
History
1970s–1990s
Ride On began service on March 31, 1975. Starting in 1983, single front door TMC City Cruisers entered service. These buses were part of a joint order with Frederick City Transit, and shared the same paint livery. In 1988, OBI Orion I 30' foot buses were introduced. In 1989, 57 30-foot Gillig Phantom buses, the first buses in the second-generation blue-and-white scheme, went into service. These buses retired in 2014 due to the arrival of the Gillig Advantage CNGIn the spring of 1996, Ride On's first CNG buses, the 1996 35-foot Orion V buses, went into service. These buses have since retired.
2000s
In September 2001, Ride On buses were used to transport Montgomery County firemen to the Pentagon in Virginia to assist in search and rescue operations after the September 11 attacks.In early 2004, Ride On's first low-floor buses, the 2003–04 35-foot Orion VII CNG buses, went into service. They replaced all of the remaining 1989 30-foot Gillig Phantom buses, therefore resulting in an all-accessible fleet.
In 2006, Ride On started accepting SmarTrip cards. All of the buses would be equipped with SmarTrip-compatible fare boxes by August of that year.
Also in 2006, Ride On's first five hybrid-electric buses, the 2006 40-foot Gillig Low Floor aka Gillig Advantage buses, went into service. The following year, eight additional 40-foot Gillig Low Floor hybrid-electric buses went into service.
Between summer and fall 2008, Ride On's first low-floor diesel buses, the 2008 29-foot Gillig Advantage and 2008 40-foot Gillig Advantage buses, went into service. They are the last buses in the second-generation blue-and-white paint scheme.
In 2009, Ride On introduced a new logo and blue-yellow-green paint scheme with the delivery of new Gillig Advantage clean diesel and hybrid buses.
2010s
In autumn 2011, Ride On's 12 40-foot Gillig Low Floor hybrid buses and one clean diesel bus went into service. All 13 of these buses were purchased with funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Seven additional 40' Gillig Low Floor hybrid buses, which were also purchased with stimulus funds from the ARRA, went into service in mid-2012.In July 2012, Ride On retired all 62 of its 2007 Champion cutaway buses due to fires and replaced them with 30 1998 30-foot Orion V buses. All 30 of these units were formerly operated by Washington's WMATA.
On September 19, 2013, 12 new 40-foot Gillig Low Floor clean diesel buses went into service. A week later, 28 new 29-foot Gillig Low Floor clean diesel buses also went into service. Also, the 2013 29-foot Gillig Low Floor clean diesel buses replaced all of the 2003 model shuttle transit vehicles that were formerly operated by Pittsburgh's Port Authority of Allegheny County.
In April 2014, 19 brand-new 2014 40-foot Gillig Low Floor CNG buses entered service. They are Ride On's first new CNG buses in almost a decade.
Between September and October 2014, 32 new 29-foot Gillig Low Floor clean diesel buses went into service and replaced all of the 1998 30-foot Orion V buses that were formerly operated by WMATA.
Ride On celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015, with 3 buses wrapped in the transit agency's 40th anniversary ad.
Between April and May 2016, 40 new 40' Gillig LF clean diesel buses, 1 29' Gillig LF clean diesel bus and 16 40' Gillig LF CNG buses entered service. And with the new buses came the new five-digit numbering system for Ride On, along with the addition of suffixes denoting engines with a.
Ride On extRa, a new limited-stop bus service along Maryland Route 355, began on October 2, 2017 between Lakeforest Transit Center and Medical Center Metro Station., the route serves 13 stops. Ride On added 59 Gillig 40-foot buses in summer and the fall 2017; 42 buses replaced some of the oldest vehicles in the fleet. Seventeen buses are specially branded and used exclusively for Ride On's new extRa service that began October 2, 2017. This limited-stop service runs along Route 355 from Lakeforest Transit Center to Medical Center Metro Station. All of the 59 buses are manufactured by Gillig; 25 run on clean diesel and 34 use compressed natural gas. Four additional 40-foot CNG buses entered service in the winter of 2018.
Ride On was award a $1.75 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to purchase the county's first four electric buses and charging stations. Ride On is partnering with Proterra, the bus manufacturer, and the Center for Transportation and the Environment, a nonprofit that develops technologies and implements solutions to achieve energy and environmental sustainability. The Montgomery County Department of General Services, which purchases and maintains the Ride On buses, greatly assisted with the grant application. The four Proterra Catalyst 35 ft electric buses are scheduled to serve Route 18 in Takoma Park starting in 2019. The county has applied for a separate grant to help buy 10 more electric buses through FTA's Bus and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program. The county expects to hear back around the end of the year if its application was approved.
MCDOT Ride On received a $4.365 million grant from the FTA to replace diesel buses with 10 new, electric buses on October 1, 2018.
Ride On added 26 Gillig 40-foot buses in spring 2019; replacing all the remaining Orion VII's. These buses introduced a brand new paint scheme with a wave pattern and are painted blue, dark blue, light green, and a touch of white. 23 use compressed natural gas and 3 run on clean diesel.
On April 28, 2019, Ride On announced Ride On Flex, an on-demand bus service that runs in three major metropolitan areas in the county using new, 11-passenger cutaway buses.
Additional Service Types
Along with standard bus service, Ride On operates two additional services, Ride On extRa and Ride On Flex. Ride On is also adding Ride On Flash in 2020.Ride On extRa
Ride On extRa, a new bus service that started on October 2, 2017, is a limited stop service via Maryland Route 355 between Medical Center station on the Washington Metro's Red Line and the Lakeforest Mall Transit Center. This bus route has free WiFi, USB charging ports, and more padding in the seats compared to traditional Ride On services. The fare charged is the same as on other Ride On buses, although fare loading on the bus is not permitted., Ride On extRa serves a new stop at Templeton Place in Rockville, increasing the number of bus stops to 13.Ride On Flex
Ride On Flex is an on-demand bus service that began serving Montgomery County on June 26, 2019 and runs in and around Rockville, Glenmont, and Wheaton using new, 11-passenger cutaway buses. Passengers are able to request a bus using an app. The new service does not charge a higher fare, and accepts the same payment methods as standard Ride On buses with no onboard fare loading allowed.[Flash BRT]
Flash is a bus rapid transit network currently under construction that will begin service in 2020. The first route will run between Silver Spring and Burtonsville along MD Route 29. Additional routes are in development and will likely run along MD 355 between Clarksburg and Bethesda and MD 586 between Rockville and Wheaton. Flash will have dedicated stops with prepayment machines and will operate in dedicated lanes using articulated buses equipped with Wi-Fi and USB ports. When complete, it will be the second operational BRT system in the Washington metropolitan area and the first to be located in Montgomery County.Fares
Ride On's current one-way fare is $2.00 regardless of payment method. Senior citizens and persons with disabilities ride free on weekdays between 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM, and on Saturdays between 8:30 AM and 4:00 PM; at all other times, a reduced fare of $1.00 is charged., children ages 5 and up can ride Ride On, as well as Metrobus routes originating in Montgomery County, for free until they graduate from high school by using a Youth Cruiser SmarTrip card. Ride On offers a $0.50 discount for bus fares that transfer from the Washington Metro.As with all other transit providers in the Washington Metropolitan Area,, Ride On stopped the issue or acceptance of paper transfers. Riders wanting transfer credit must use a SmarTrip card to get the rail-to-bus or bus-to-rail discount or to transfer free from bus to bus.
Fleet
Ride On operates a fleet consisting of Diesel, CNG, and Diesel-electric hybrid buses produced by Gillig Corporation, New Flyer Industries, and Starcraft.On order
Retired fleet
Divisions
The bus fleet, owned and operated by Ride On, is distributed among three garages in Kensington, Silver Spring and Gaithersburg.| Division name | Location | Capacity | Routes | Notes |
| Silver Spring | 8710 Brookville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910 | 147 | 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30, 34, 36, 39, 41, 51, 129 Monday-Saturday Only: 5 Weekdays Only: 47 Weekends Only: L8, T2 |
|
| Gaithersburg | 16700 Crabbs Branch Way, Rockville, MD 20855 | 155 | 43, 46, 48, 49, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 70, 71, 73, 74, 76, 78, 79, 90, 101Monday-Saturday Only: 100 Weekdays Only: 75 |
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| Nicholson | 4700 Nicholson Ct, Kensington, MD 20895 | 68 | 6, 7, 8, 23, 29, 31, 32, 33, 37, 38, 42, 44, 45, 52, 53, 81, 83, 96, 97, 98Late Night and Sunday Only: 5 Weekends Only: 47, 75 Sundays Only: 100 |
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Routes
Ride On offers 81 routes throughout Montgomery County. All routes run through peak rush hour periods between 6 AM and 9 AM and 3 PM to 7 PM on weekdays. Many routes offer services for off-peak hours and weekends as well.Additionally, Ride On operates two weekend routes that are served by WMATA Metrobus on weekdays.
| Route | Name | Termini | Termini | Weekday peak | Weekday off-peak | Saturday | Sunday | Notes |
| L8 | Aspen Hill – Friendship Heights | Friendship Heights Station | Grand Pre Road & Bel Pre Road | |||||
| T2 | Rockville – Friendship Heights | Friendship Heights Station | Rockville Station | via Potomac |
Former routes
These routes have been served by Ride On at one point but have since been discontinued due to either low ridership, duplication of another route, simplification to other routes, or combined into another route. However some routes would be reincarnated into new routes for Ride On.| Route | Name | Termini | Termini | Weekday peak | Weekday off-peak | Saturday | Sunday | Notes |
| 3 | Silver Spring – Takoma | Silver Spring Station | Takoma Station | AM from Takoma Station, PM from Silver Spring Station. Discontinued on September 17, 2017 due to low ridership. | ||||
| 10 | ||||||||
| 11 | ||||||||
| 21 | Burtonsville Shuttle | Briggs Chaney Park & Ride | Briggs Chaney Park & Ride | Looped around the Briggs Chaney Park & Ride. Only ran midday on weekdays. Discontinued on January 4, 2002. | ||||
| 26 | ||||||||
| 27 | Friendship Heights – Medical Center | Friendship Heights Station | Medical Center Station | Discontinued on September 7, 2003 due to low ridership. Alternative service available on extended Route 33 and realigned Route 36. | ||||
| 31 | Replaced by Route 29 in early 1998. | |||||||
| 35 | Wheaton – Montgomery Mall | Montgomery Mall Transit Center | Wheaton Station | Discontinued on September 1, 2002; replaced by extended route 47 and realigned Route 34. | ||||
| 40 | White Flint – Glenmont | White Flint Station | Glenmont Station | Discontinued in early 2001; replaced by extended WMATA Metrobus route C8. | ||||
| 41 | ||||||||
| 42 | Friendship Heights – Medical Center | Friendship Heights Station | Medical Center Station | Combined with Route 34 on May 4, 2008. | ||||
| 48 | ||||||||
| 49 | ||||||||
| 50 | ||||||||
| 51 | ||||||||
| 62 | Shady Grove – Germantown | Shady Grove Station | Montgomery College Rockville Campus | Discontinued on May 28, 2005. | ||||
| 63X | Shady Grove - Gaither Road | Shady Grove Station | Gaither Road & Gaither Drive | Served as a supplement to Route 63, connecting passengers from the Gaither Road industrial area to Shady Grove Metro during the midday and late night. Started service on January 6, 2019. Combined with route 63 on May 12, 2019. | ||||
| 66 | Shady Grove – Shady Grove Hospital | Shady Grove Station | Discontinued by 1998. | |||||
| 67 | Shady Grove – Shady Grove Hospital | Shady Grove Station | Discontinued by 1998. | |||||
| 68 | Germantown MARC Shuttle | Germantown MARC | Germantown MARC | Looped around the Germantown MARC Station. Discontinued on May 28, 2005. | ||||
| 69 | Germantown MARC Shuttle | Germantown MARC | Germantown MARC | Looped around the Germantown MARC Station. Discontinued on May 28, 2005. | ||||
| 72 | Shady Grove – Germantown | Shady Grove Station | Germantown Commons | AM from Germantown Commons; PM from Shady Grove. Discontinued on May 28, 2005. | ||||
| 73 | Shady Grove – Germantown – Goldenrod Lane | Shady Grove Station | Goldenrod Lane & Century Blvd | AM from Goldenrod Lane & Century Blvd; PM from Shady Grove. Discontinued on May 28, 2005. | ||||
| 77 | Shady Grove – Germantown | Shady Grove Station | Germantown Commons | AM from Germantown Commons; PM from Shady Grove. Discontinued on May 28, 2005. | ||||
| 80 | Shady Grove – King Farm Loop | Shady Grove Station | Gaither Road & Redland Road | Discontinued; last run was on May 3, 2002. | ||||
| 82 | Clarksburg Town Center – Germantown Transit Center | Clarksburg Gateway Center | Department of Energy in Germantown | AM from Clarksburg; PM from Department of Energy. Combined with Route 79 on April 5, 2009. | ||||
| 91 | Rockville Pike Shuttle | Rockville Town Center | Rock Pike & Edson Lane | Operated from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Discontinued on September 3, 2001. | ||||
| 92 | Bethesda Shuttle | Bethesda Station | Bethesda Station | Became operated by the Bethesda Urban Partnership on September 3, 2006. | ||||
| 93 | US – HHS – Twinbrook Station | Twinbrook Station | DHHS Parklawn Shuttle | Discontinued on September 17, 2017 due to low ridership. | ||||
| 94 | Clarksburg – Germantown MARC | Germantown MARC | Clarksburg Gateway Center | Discontinued on September 17, 2017 due to low ridership. | ||||
| 124 | Shady Grove Express | MD 117 Park & Ride MD 124 Park & Ride | Shady Grove Station | Operates through I-270. Discontinued on March 14, 2008. | ||||
| 127 | Campus Connector | Takoma Station | University of Maryland | Discontinued on May 16, 2008. |
Additionally, Ride On ran one weekend route that are served by WMATA Metrobus on weekdays. These routes have since been discontinued due to the same reason as other discontinued Ride On routes.
| Route | Name | Termini | Termini | Weekday peak | Weekday off-peak | Saturday | Sunday | Notes |
| Z2 | Colesville – Silver Spring | Olney | Silver Spring station | Saturday Service Discontinued on January 12, 2013 due to low ridership. Weekday service is still operated by Metrobus, See Colesville–Ashton Line for history. |