Montgomery County Ride On Bus System Wraps Up Year with Service Improvements, Bus Station Upgrades

Montgomery County Department of Transportation's (MCDOTs) Ride On bus system rolled out service enhancements and bus station upgrades in 2025, as part of its ongoing commitment to providing a high-quality, reliable public transportation system.

In June, MCDOT launched Phase 1 of its Ride On Reimagined plan with new and updated routes and schedule adjustments that provide faster, more efficient service along corridors where demand is high, and more streamlined connections to Metrorail.

As part of the rollout of Ride On Reimagined, MCDOT also eliminated fare payment for all riders. MCDOT previously offered free fares to seniors, youth, and persons with disabilities using specialized SmarTrip cards.

The Ride On bus system, which includes about 400 buses servicing over 80 routes, delivered more than 19 million rides in 2025, a 2.8% increase over the 2024 calendar year.

"We continually evaluate ridership and invest in transit, so our bus system remains reliable and responsive to the essential trips residents depend on every day," said County Executive Marc Elrich. "By making buses zero fare, we have removed a significant cost barrier for our most vulnerable residents, making this an ideal time for more people to try local public transit."

MCDOT updates its bus service schedule three times a year to ensure resources are directed where they are needed most.

MCDOT ePaper bus arrival screen

Bus stop improvements have also been carried out to help support access to public transit, boost pedestrian safety , and improve the rider experience. MCDOT installed e-paper transit information screens that display real - time bus arrival information at nearly 100 bus stop locations in the County , with plans for more . In addition, more than 30 bus stop locations were upgraded to improve accessibility , including improvements to walking paths and curb ramps, in the 2025 calendar year. Those improvements include:

Additional bus stop improvements are planned for 2026.

Montgomery County has supported dedicated bus lanes on some of the County's busiest corridors, including University Boulevard and Georgia Avenue. The Maryland Department of Transportation owns and maintains these roads and had regional support and improvement investments from both the County and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which operate bus services that benefit from the projects. The dedicated bus lanes were made permanent in Spring 2025 after successful pilot programs. The lanes reduce travel time for thousands of daily Ride On bus and Metro Bus riders that travel them.

The County also has portions of dedicated bus lanes along Fields Road, Decoverly Place, Diamondback Drive, Broschart Road, and Medical Center Drive, as well as immediately surrounding the Germantown Transit Center.

"Waiting for buses to arrive and the time it takes to get to your destination are the main concerns of our riders," said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. "We are prioritizing bus frequency. All of our newer routes, such the Ride On extRa Pink and Lime routes implemented in 2024 in the Great Seneca area and the Flash Bus Rapid Transit corridors we are building, are high frequency, allowing riders to show up at a bus stop knowing they will be picked up in a few minutes. It makes bus service easy and dependable. These are the improvements that will move the needle and make public transit more appealing for more residents."

Providing customers with real-time bus arrival information has been a priority for MCDOT. In 2023, MCDOT released a national-award-winning real-time app for trip planning to make catching the bus easier. The free Ride On Trip Planner app allows riders to select their route, view live bus arrival times, and receive step-by-step navigation to their destination. Riders can download the app on Apple App Store or Google Play.

"We've accomplished a lot in the past year to make the public transit experience better for everyone, and looking forward, we have a lot more to do to keep the upward trend moving," said Conklin.

For information on MCDOT programs and services, visit montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot, follow @MCDOTNow on Bluesky, X, Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to MCDOT's "Go Montgomery!" newsletter.