Contact: Esther Bowring, 240-777-6530
Carolyn Biggins, 240-777-5800
For Immediate Release: August 1, 2001

Duncan Celebrates Extended Bethesda 8 Trolley Hours:
Local Restaurants Promote Trolley By Hosting
“Bethesda Ate” Special Discounts

Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan announced new extended hours for Ride On’s free Bethesda 8 Trolley that began July 30. To promote the later hours and Saturday service, trolley riders received menus and coupons from local restaurants offering special discounts on August 1 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

“Downtown Bethesda is the ideal place to get people out of their cars and onto transit,” said Duncan. “The free Bethesda 8 shuttle service encourages people to take mass transit to work by providing them an easy and convenient way to get to their offices. Now, with the trolley’s extended hours and Saturday service, it will be even easier to enjoy restaurants and shopping, work late, or take in after hours attractions in Bethesda without worrying about driving and parking.”

Montgomery County and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) split the cost of the trolleys. MDOT is paying for the cost of extending the trolley hours under the new State Transit Initiative, which will add $23 million to Ride On and more than $105 million for Metro operations in Montgomery County over the next six years.

“The streets of Bethesda don’t roll up at 7 p.m., and neither will the Bethesda 8,” said Governor Parris N. Glendening. “This innovative trolley service will provide convenient transit for people who live and work in Bethesda and those who visit for shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. The improved trolley will enhance Bethesda’s quality of life and help us double transit ridership by 2020.”

The trolley now operates Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to midnight; Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.; and Saturday evening from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. The shuttle was operating only on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Bethesda 8 shuttle service actually started in September 1999 and was named for the eight-minute frequency it provides and the figure “8” shape of its route. Ridership on the Bethesda 8 downtown circulator bus has been increasing since the service began. Since March 2001, when the trolleys were introduced to give the service a more visible and distinctive identity, ridership has increased about 20 percent to 800 passengers a day.

To promote the trolley’s extended service, 15 restaurants in Bethesda participated in a special “Bethesda Ate” promotion, offering free or reduced priced items on August 1. Participating restaurants included Marvelous Market, Fairmont Bar & Dining, McCormick & Schmick’s, Spring Mill Bread Co., Tragara Ristorante, Sweet Basil Gourmet Thai Cuisine, Frascati Ristorante, Delray Vietnamese Garden, Jaleo-Bethesda, Brasserie Monte Carlo, Joe’s Crab Shack, Parker’s American Bistro, Rock Bottom, Penang Malaysian Cuisine, and Raku-Asian Dining & Sushi Bar.

“Commuters can leave their cars at home, work late, stay for dinner, shopping or a movie, and have a convenient ride back to the Metro; it's a wonderful service,” said Bethesda Transportation Solutions Director Francine E. Waters.

For more information about the Bethesda 8 Trolley or other Ride On service, 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.