Air Quality Index for Washington Metropolitan Area Today

Ride On will be making time changes on seven routes effective May 20, 2012. Those routes are 48, 49, 57, 58, 61, 64, and 74. Only the weekday schedules on these routes will be changed. These changes have been made so that schedules will more accurately reflect the running (travel) times of these routes.

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Ride On Real Time is a new system that allows passengers to obtain real-time information on bus arrivals using the internet, texting, a smart phone or mobile applications (apps) for iPhones or Android phones. The new tools will help passengers determine when the next arriving bus will be at their stop.

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The Montgomery County Council hereby notifies the general public that it will receive testimony on potential changes to transportation fees, charges and fares on April 24, 2012. The proposed fare changes will keep the County fares in line with the regional fares set by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). WMATA has advertised for public comment a wide range of fares that it will consider for its FY13 budget. Public comment on the proposed changes for Ride On fares is solicited on April 24, 2012 at 7:30 pm, Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, 3rd floor hearing room, Rockville, Maryland.

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En Español

Ride On bus passengers can help needy families and receive a free bus ride by donating canned or nonperishable food during Ride On’s annual food drive. Riders who donate will ride free during Give and Ride from Sunday, April 22, through Saturday April 28, 2012. During the week, food collection bags will be placed near the fare boxes on all Ride On buses.

The donated food goes to Manna Food Center, Montgomery County’s food bank.

Many of Manna’s clients who have health problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure would appreciate healthful selections that fit into their food plans. Items such as whole grains pasta and low salt or low sugar foods are good choices. For more ideas, see this list.

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The hearing located in Montgomery County will be held on February 27, 2012. For more information, go to Metro’s media release:    http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=5155

A national research institution, in collaboration with public transportation agencies in the Baltimore/Washington area, is looking for transit riders over the age of 18 to participate in small group discussions to be held in Baltimore and Montgomery County, Maryland on January 31 and February 1. The discussions will last approximately two hours and each person selected to attend will receive $75 in cash at the completion of the group.

No preparation is needed to participate in a group. The researchers are simply interested in your feedback regarding a variety of topics related to public transportation.

If you are interested in participating, please click on the link below to complete a short survey.

   http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22DWPJH6G83

The following routes will have trip times changed. In most cases, these changes have been made so that schedules will more accurately reflect the running (travel) times of these routes. In some cases, changes have been made to trip departure times because the ‘home’ depot of the route has been changed from one Ride On bus depot (garage) to a different Ride On depot.

Weekday changes will be made to routes 5, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16, 26, 30, 38, 41, 49.
Saturday changes will be made to 5, 8, 10, 12, 16, 26, 38, 41, 47, and 49.
Sunday changes will be made to 5, 10, 12, 16, 26, 38, 41, 47, and 49.

Click here for timetables

Route 34 service will return to its regular routing on Saturday, August 6, 2011. The bridge construction on Cedar Lane which closed the road and caused the Route 34 to detour around the bridge will be completed.

Beginning Tuesday, July 19, 2011 all transit Fare Media for both Ride On and Metro will be sold at the Treasury Department, located at 255 Rockville Pike (Suite L-15). The last day the Sales Office at 101 Monroe St. will sell fare media is Monday, July 18. On Monday, July 18, cash and check will be the only accepted forms of payment. Also that day, customers will not be able to add value to nor purchase the 7 Day Regional Pass on their SmarTrip while the electronic machine is being relocated. The hours of operation at the Treasury Department are between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM Monday through Friday. Other retail sales outlets in the area are:

For SmarTrip:
CVS – 360 Hungerford Dr. Space 410 – Rockville, MD
CVS – 11852 Rockville pike – Mid-Pike Plaza Rockville, MD 20852

Giant – 9719 Traville Gateway Drive Rockville, MD
Giant – 12051 Rockville Pike – Rockville, MD

For more retail outlets, see Metro’s web site: http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/where.cfm#retail

For July 2011, the Ride On Monthly Pass is $40.

Effective July 1, 2011 kids 18 years and younger will be allowed to ride any Ride On bus and most Metrobus routes within Montgomery County without paying a fare from 2 PM until 7 PM Monday- Friday year-round. The student must show the bus operator either a valid school ID or the Kids Ride Free ID issued by Ride On.

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July 1, there will be a slight increase of $5 for the purchase of Call ‘N Ride coupons, for the second book only. Purchase of the first book will remain the same. If you currently pay $5.25 for one book of $60 worth of coupons, you may now purchase two coupon books each month for a minimal cost of $15.25 for $120 worth of coupons.

You're invited to join Metro, Montgomery County, and the Maryland Department of Transportation at a public meeting for the Y Line. Participants will meet with the project team to discuss problems with the Y Line and ideas on how to solve them.

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En Español

Our transit partner, Metrobus, is conducting a study of the Y service from Olney to Silver Spring along Georgia Avenue and would like your feedback. Click here for more information about the study and a customer survey you can complete.

http://www.metrobus-studies.com/Y%20Line/Y-Line.htm

Please do not complete the survey if you have already completed one onboard the bus.

Ride On is looking for 12 volunteers to serve for two years on its Transit Advisory Group. If you are a committed Ride On user, a resident of Montgomery County and interested in serving, send your letter, e-mail or fax by close of business on Friday, April 15, 2011.

Click here for a flyer in English and en Español

On the above holidays, Ride On will operate a modified holiday schedule on these Federal holidays when ridership is far less than a normal weekday. Because we understand that some riders who work for other employers still need to get to work or to other destinations, we will be operating service on every route. Schedules will include fewer trips during the day, but service starts and ends at approximately the same time as a weekday schedule.

These twelve routes will operate on the same Monday – Friday weekday schedule as normal with no changes:
         Routes 4, 7, 32, 36, 44, 52, 63, 66, 67, 81, 93, and 98

Operating the modified holiday schedule more accurately matches service with actual ridership on those holidays, therefore saving costs during these difficult financial times while also helping the environment.

Click here to view detailed special holiday schedules by route.

For the first time ever, Metro is offering weekly bus passes on SmarTrip® cards starting October 17, when bus riders will be able to load the Seven-Day Bus Pass directly onto their SmarTrip® card. Bus passes on SmarTrip® are valid for seven consecutive days of unlimited travel on regular Metrobus and regional bus routes, including Ride On.

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En Español

Earlier this year to deal with Montgomery County’s $1 billion budget shortfall, Ride On proposed service reductions to help reduce the deficit. These reductions represented about 7.5 percent of all Ride On service and included route and route segment eliminations and reductions in frequency of service.

Based on public input from a February 1 public forum, the fiscal year (FY) 2011 County budget approved by the Montgomery County Council on May 27 avoided many of the initially proposed cuts. The result was a 2.3 percent reduction of all Ride On service with no full Ride On routes eliminated. These changes are likely to result in more crowded buses, but overall service will be preserved.

The service changes that will become effective Sunday, September 5 include:

• Route segment eliminations on Routes 7, 22, 32, 33, 43
• Frequency reductions on Routes 1 (Saturday only), 15, 17, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 34, 36, 43, 46, 47, 48, 49, 56, 57, 60, 61, 70, 83, 93, 97, 100
• Some shifts in trip times, but no change in the total number of trips operated on Routes: 31, 39, 41, 45, 51, 61, 63, 93, T2 (Saturday and Sunday service operated by Ride On)

Effective this month, the Regional Services Centers will no longer sell fare media due to deep staff reductions.

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These changes are necessary to help close the budget shortfall the County is experiencing. In addition, Ride On fare changes are designed to make transfers between Metrobus and Ride On easier by keeping fares for the two transit systems compatible.

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en español

When snow, storms or other special circumstances occur that affect Ride On’s ability to follow normal weekday schedules, bus service will operate under the ‘S’ Service Plan. For more information please click here.

‘S’ Service Plan - en español

Montgomery County Ride On is pleased to announce the availability of new online trip planning tools. These tools make it easy to plan your trip while at home, work or on the go. For more information please click here.

Now residents can easily find a bus stop by using Montgomery County’s award-winning website feature “My Montgomery,” an online system which helps locate a variety of County facilities and services. Visitors can locate nearby bus service by typing in an address and zip code. “My Montgomery” can be found at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mymontgomery or by clicking on the icon on the left side of the County’s front page. Bus stop information includes the bus service route, route schedules and maps, as well as information about the availability of benches, streetlights and shelters. Residents may also report bus stop problems to Ride On by simply clicking on a link and completing a brief on-line form that is automatically associated with the bus stop selected.

Ride On’s Transit Information Center is now accepting MasterCard, Visa, checks and cash as methods of payment for purchasing Ride On and Metro bus passes. Click for TIC location and sales information.

Customers can now also purchase or add value to SmarTrip® Cards at TIC. Customers can make payment using MasterCard, Visa, or cash. For the first time, TRiPS commuter stores in Silver Spring and Friendship Heights will also be able to add value to SmarTrip.

Seniors (age 65 years) now have a new Senior SmarTrip card that may be used to ride free on Ride On buses and some Metrobuses in Montgomery County starting July 1, 2008.

Ride On is committed to the safety of all our passengers especially children. It is important for everyone to understand some simple safety tips for riding on Ride On. Please review these safety tips and enjoy the ride!

Please help us keep you safe. If you see anything suspicious, please let your bus operator or station manager know or call 800-492-TIPS (8477). Transitwatch Brochure

Subscribe to Ride On Subscriptions and you will be notified via email about the service changes or promotional programs which benefit our daily riders.

You can sign up or remove your email address here. You will find the 'Ride On Services' option under the 'Transportation Services' category near the bottom of the page when you create a new, or update an existing account.

Order Call-N-Ride Coupon Online now available-This Montgomery County program provides subsidized taxi trips for low-income persons with disabilities and seniors.
To be eligible for the Call 'N' Ride Program, you must be low income, at least 67 years of age or disabled.

Where can I buy Ride On or Metro passes or Tokens?

• In person at these locations through out the County
• Online with Ride On, Metro