Contact: Donna Bigler, 240-777-6530
Howard Benn, 240-777-5800
For Immediate Release: July 26, 2001

Transit Service at Hampshire-Langley
Shopping Center To Be Rerouted;
Effective July 30

Bus terminal operations located in the parking lot of the Hampshire-Langley Shopping Center will end on Sunday, July 29, and beginning Monday, July 30 service will be rerouted until a permanent site can be found for a transit facility in the area. Ride-On use of the bus stop at University and Anne Street will be discontinued, as well. Despite lengthy negotiations between the County and the shopping center’s owner, Saul Centers, a permanent agreement could not be reached for continued use of the shopping center and the building of a much-needed permanent transit facility on the site.

“We are very disappointed that we were not able to reach an agreement to continue using the Hampshire-Langley Shopping Center for our Ride On operations,” said Department of Public Works and Transportation Director Al Genetti, Jr. “The County put a generous offer on the table that was not accepted. However, we have identified a viable interim solution for this busy transit area and we will continue to search for a permanent location for a much needed transit center.”

“There will be no disruption in service as a result of this new arrangement, and we are making every effort to make sure our customers are aware of the routing changes,” said Howard Benn, Chief of the Customer and Operations Support section of Montgomery County’s Division of Transit Services. The County began notifying riders of the changes early in the week, passing out fliers in both English and Spanish.

A new bus shelter was built at University Boulevard and Merrimac Drive for passengers who are transferring to Prince George’s County-bound Metro C2 and C4 buses. Ride On bus routes 15, 17 and 18 will be rerouted to a new layover stop on Lebanon Street. The bus stop on Lebanon Street will be discharge only.

For more information about the affected bus routes, call the County’s Transit Information Center at 240-777-7433. Bus schedule information is also available on the County’s web site at www.RideOnbus.com and on Metro’s web site at www.wmata.com.