Saturday, May 11, 2013
A depot for county buses in Silver Spring is irksome to some neighbors and may be violating the county's own rules.
The constant hum of Ride On buses idling—powered on, but not driving anywhere—is just plain annoying to some of the Silver Spring residents who live near the county's vehicle depot, a special report from WTOP claims. Furthermore, the buses may be idling too often and for too long, in violation of the county's own rules about minimizing bus idling that may emit noxious fumes. County rules say buses shouldn't be left on for more than three minutes. A reporter with WTOP took video and observed the buses routinely being left on for longer than the mandated time limit. (Watch the video here.) Montgomery County officials responded to the report Thursday with a statement claiming that the buses have to be turned on for any number of …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Many attendees of the Land Use/Transportation Committee of the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board meeting on Monday night agreed that more bus service is needed between these neighboring urban centers.
What's the quickest way to get from Friendship Heights to Bethesda? If you're taking public transportation, you could take Metrorail or the bus—but the bus will take a bit of time, even though the neighborhoods are close and have a direct highway—Maryland state Route 355—connecting them. At a meeting of the Land Use/Transportation Committee of the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board on Monday night, Phil McLaughlin, manager of operations and planning for the county's Ride On bus service, said that it's a 15-minute trip from Bethesda to Friendship Heights on the No. 34 bus, and that the bus runs every 15 minutes every day. But many attendees at the committee meeting shook their heads, saying that the buses only run about every…
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Metro is aiming to give two hours advance warning should bus service be suspended.
Metro is operating on a normal weekday schedule Wednesday as the Washington region braces for a potentially major snowstorm. MetroAccess service and certain Metro commuter bus routes have been canceled, however, and Ride On buses are experiencing delays. Metrorail customers are advised to plan extra time for their commute. “You may encounter minor delays due to snow and ice clearing efforts, as equipment that removes snow and ice from the third rail operates between regularly scheduled trains,” the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said in a statement. Some Metrobus routes may be detoured and bus service may be reduced or suspended as conditions deteriorate, Metro said. Metro is aiming to notify Metrobus riders two hours in …
Monday, February 4, 2013
The T&E committee also will take up Leggett's $13.9 million request to replace 60 Champion buses taken off the roads following fire safety concerns.
Improved transportation for seniors and the county executive’s $13.9 million request to replace 60 Champion buses will be on the agenda for a Montgomery County Council committee Monday. The council’s Health and Human Services Committee and Transportation, Energy, Infrastructure and Environment Committee will hear recommendations on ways to improve mobility for Montgomery County seniors. “The work session will stress that even in a county that is considered to have very good public transportation options, those services, in many cases, are not adequate for some seniors,” reads a county news release. Recommendations include creating a county “mobility manager” administrative position to coordinate transportation services offered through the …
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Up to 70 electronic screens could be installed at Metrobus shelters across the region, The Washington Examiner reports.
Update, 4:30 p.m.: Montgomery County spokeswoman Esther Bowring says Ride On is planning a similar electronic notification system at major transit centers. "Timing for implementation has not been set," Bowring wrote in an e-mail to Patch. Original post, 3 p.m.: Waiting in the cold and wondering when that next bus will arrive? Some Metrobus bus shelters will soon be equipped with flat screens that will display real-time bus arrival times, The Washington Examiner reports. Up to 70 screens, funded by a federal grant, could be installed at Metrobus stops on Metro property across the region, according to the report. Local jurisdictions will need to decide whether the screens will be installed at Merobus stops on streets they own, Metro …
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
No track work is planned for the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Metro will take a break from its weekend track work schedule for the Thanksgiving holiday. On Thanksgiving day, Metro trains will operate on a Sunday schedule. The Metrorail system will open at 7 a.m. and close at midnight. Off-peak fares will be in effect all day and parking will be free at Metro-operated parking facilities, according to Metro's website. Metrobuses also will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving day. Check bus timetables for details. MetroAccess will operate during the same hours as Metrorail and Metrobus. Subscription trips will be cancelled on Thanksgiving day, Metro added. Ride On buses will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving day. Regular weekday service for Metrorail and Metrobus will return on Friday…
Monday, October 1, 2012
The bus was stopped at a bus stop when another vehicle crashed into it, according to a county spokeswoman.
A car collided with a Ride On bus that was stopped at a bus stop on Rockville Pike Monday morning, a county spokeswoman reports. The bus was stopped near 355 and Pooks Hill Road when another vehicle ran into the back of the bus, according to county spokeswoman Esther Bowring. The incident occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m. and minor injuries were reported, according to Assistant Chief Scott Graham, a fire and rescue spokesman. One lane on northbound Rockville Pike was getting by the accident shortly before 9 a.m., Montgomery County police reported. Ride On supervisors were investigating the accident, Bowring said.
39.01489
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Rockville Pike & Pooks Hill Rd, Bethesda, MD
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Thursday, September 27, 2012
Changes aim at expanding service to new areas and reducing service on less-used routes.
Montgomery County will host a public forum tonight in Rockville about proposed changes to the county’s Ride On bus service. The forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria on the terrace level of the Executive Office Building, at 101 Monroe St. Reservations for speaking spots closed Sept. 22, but written comments are being accepted through 5 p.m. on Monday. Mail or deliver comments to: Division of Transit Services, Ride On Public Forum, 101 Monroe Street, 5th Floor, Rockville, MD 20850; email: mcdot.rideonpublicforums@montgomerycountymd.gov; or fax: 240-777-5801. Ride On has proposed changes to six Ride On routes and one Metrobus route operated on Saturday by Ride On. The proposed changes seek to better serve “areas that have been …
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Replacing 28 Champion-brand buses sooner than originally planned will cost the county an extra $150,000, WTOP reports.
The seven fires on Ride On buses in the past three years have spurred the county to replace 28 Champion-brand buses sooner than originally planned, WTOP reported. "[The] fires forced the county to speed up the replacement process and added a $150,000 cost to the process," WTOP added. But, the county shouldn't have to shoulder that unanticipated cost, Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner said. The costs should be recovered through litigation. Berliner said, "We ought to be all over these people," WTOP reported. The Champion buses have been replaced temporarily by older, Orion-brand buses purchased from WMATA, WTOP said. To permanently replace the Champion buses, the county has reportedly ordered 28 buses from the Gillig …
Monday, July 23, 2012
After last week's Ride On bus fire, the fleet continues reduced service through Wednesday.
The Ride On bus service will continue to run on a modified holiday schedule on Monday and Tuesday, July 23 and 24, according to a Ride On statement. Normal weekday service will resume on Wednesday, July 25. "Passengers may encounter some minor delays on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, July 25 through 27. By Monday, July 30, operations are expected to be back to normal," the company said. For the modified holiday schedule on July 23 and 24, all routes have service, but buses will run less frequently. There are three changes to the posted holiday schedule on these days: The Montgomery County Department of General Services "has expedited preparing replacement buses for service, so that most will be available by July 30," according to a Ride …
Robert Smythe
10:42 am on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Yes, more buses, hopefully ones that burn natural gas instead of dirty diesel. The proposed Purple Line would be a huge misallocation of scarce funds that would likely become another ICC -- an environmentally destructive, underused, enormous waste of money that could be better spent on reasonable traffic solutions such as buses. For the price of the Purple Line these buses could and should be … more ›