Fact Sheet

Background:

  • Montgomery County is one of the best places in America to earn a living, grow businesses, raise a family and build a better future.
  • We need to make Montgomery County a more “walkable” and “liveable” community, which will result in a better quality of life for you and your family.
  • That future, however, depends on increased transportation investment to accommodate more residents and to encourage job growth within the County.
  • That’s why Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett is proposing the formation of a Montgomery CountyTransit Authority.

Advantages:

  • A government agency with the benefits of a private-sector approach to problem solving.
  • Getting the greatest value out of dollars spent and providing a single focus and mission that will concentrate on transit as a part of modern transportation policy-making, planning and implementation.
  • Speedy development of a County Rapid Transit System (RTS) that will:
    • Improve quality of life by reducing congestion on our roads.
    • Improve local air quality, curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
    • Reduce road fatalities and/or crashes. 
    • Increase ancillary growth in employment as a result of RTS related development.
  • A more streamlined procurement process that will improve timelines for development and operational activities.
  • Establishment of a transit tax creates a stable and reliable source of revenue for funding transit.

What It Would Do:

  • Plan, design, engineer, develop, finance, maintain and operate the Ride-On bus system and the planned RTS network, including the Corridor Cities Transitway.
  • Coordinate the relationship with WMATA for both bus and rail modes and coordinate with Maryland Transit Authority on the Purple Line light rail project and MARC.
  • Plan, design, develop, finance, maintain and operate the County’s four parking lot districts.
  • Provide fleet management for transit vehicles (transferred from Department of General Services).

Funding Sources:

  • The County Transit tax.
  • The County’s capital budget and other transfers.
  • State and Federal grants.
  • State and private-sector contributions.
  • System revenues (fares, advertisements, etc.).
  • Parking Lot District tax revenue, including fees and fines.

Requirements:

  • Enactment of legislation by General Assembly and implementing legislation by County Council.
  • Reorganization of several Montgomery County departments including Transportation and General Services.
  • Bond rating agencies to agree that Authority-issued debt is not a state obligation.