Ride On Announces January Services Changes and Holiday Schedules

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Contact: Esther Bowring, 240-777-6530 or
Carolyn Biggins, 240-777-5800

For Immediate Release: January 12, 2001

Ride On Announces January Service Changes
and Holiday Schedules

Beginning with a schedule change on January 14, the Montgomery County Ride On bus system will add two new routes and improve frequency on eight routes, funded by the state of Maryland and the County. These and other changes were implemented in response to development and to enhance existing service. Ride On ridership has increased by 6.3 percent so far this fiscal year from July through December. Because most of the improvements are related to weekday rush hour service, most changes will not take effect until Tuesday, January 16, after the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.

Ride On's Route 80 is a new addition between King Farm and the Shady Grove Metro Station travelling along Redland Boulevard. The bus will run every 18 minutes during rush hour from 6 to 9 a.m. and between 3:15 and 6:15 p.m.

A new Ride On shuttle route between the Department of Health and Human Services, located at 5600 Fishers Lane, and the Twinbrook Metro Station will run every 12 minutes at a special fare of only $.25. This service is funded by the County and the North Bethesda Transportation Management District.

During peak hours on Routes 17, 23, 29, 57 and 70 (morning peak only), the wait between buses will be cut from 30 minutes to 20. On Route 49, bus frequency will improve from 20 to 15 minutes during peak hours. Enhanced service frequencies make using transit more convenient and encourages ridership.

Two early morning trips will be added to Route 15 to the Silver Spring Metro Station and a 7:55 a.m. trip will be added to Route 45, which travels from the Rockville to the Twinbrook Metro Station.

Metrobus C8 service will replace Ride On's Route 40, with the last day of Ride On service on Friday, January 12. This service change is an improvement for through riders travelling from points between the White Flint and the College Park Metro Stations who will no longer have to transfer to other buses to make the trip.

More buses will now have lifts for the disabled. A total of 169 trips with lifts have been added to the Ride On schedule.

Metro has also announced some schedule changes on buses that they operate in Montgomery County. Beginning on January 13, Metro will eliminate Route Q1 due to poor ridership.

At Montgomery County's suggestion, Metro will expand service between the Norbeck Park and Ride Lot to the Glenmont Metro station starting January 15. In addition to the Y7 bus that currently serves the lot, Y8 and Y9 Metrobuses will also stop at the lot, increasing southbound service frequency between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. to every seven minutes. The Y8 and Y9 buses do not run on holidays. Customers can call Metro at 202-637-7000 or check their website at www.wmata.com for more information.

Ride On will operate a Saturday Supplemental Service on Monday, January 15 for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. Ride On will operate on a regular Saturday schedule on Inauguration Day, Saturday, January 20.

Ride On bus passes and tokens can be purchased through the County's website at www.RideOnBus.com. Residents are reminded that Ride On now offers several reduced rate passes for only $10: the 20-Trip Ticket with no time limit; the Ride-About pass with unlimited rides for a two week period; and the Youth Cruiser Pass that allows those under 18 unlimited rides for a month.

New Ride On brochures that contain the schedule changes and the holiday schedules are now available.

For more information, check the County's website at www.RideOnbus.com, look for schedule information on the Ride On buses, or call the County's Transit Information Center at 240-777-7433.

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