Maryland Transit Administration
Encyclopedia : M : MA : MAR : Maryland Transit Administration
The Maryland Transit Administration, sometimes called MTA Maryland to avoid confusion with other cities' agencies called MTA, is a state operated transit service serving all of Baltimore, Maryland and the surrounding counties. Besides operating the transit system in the Baltimore, the MTA also oversees the operation of a regional rail service, MARC, that services Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Western Maryland, as well as several Commuter bus routes throughout the state. The MTA also oversees the operation of transit services in other jurisdictions in the state, with the exception of the Washington, D.C. area. Such transit systems, like Howard Transit, are also partially funded by MTA as well.
History
The MTA was originally known as the Baltimore Metropolitan Transit Authority, then the Mass Transit Administration before it changed to its current name. The MTA took over the operations of the old Baltimore Transit Company on April 30, 1970.Forms of MTA transit
Bus
Local buses
The Maryland Transit Administration current fleet of buses contains Flxibles (formerly known as Grumman Flxible) buses that were ordered from 1980-1995, North American Bus Industries (NABI) buses ordered from 1995-2000, a fleet of articulated buses from NABI in 1996, and in 2003 a set of low-floor buses from Neoplan. In early 2004, the Maryland Transit Administration ordered more low floor buses, this time from New Flyer. In 2005, the Maryland Transit Administration ordered another set of New Flyer low floor buses. In 2006, the Maryland Transit Administration ordered 10 low floor hybrid buses from New Flyer to start revenue service in Spring of 2006. MTA has plans to order up to 300 more hybrid buses over six years if the 10 hybrid buses perform well, making the 2012 MTA bus fleet 50% hybrid buses. A reason why Maryland might have not gotten hybrid buses in previous bus orders was because of price, a hybrid New Flyer transit bus costs $591,000 and a regular New Flyer transit bus that Maryland ordered for 2004-05 cost $354,000, a $237,000 price difference. The current plan for the MTA is to reduce the average age of the bus fleet by phasing out the Flxibles and replacing them with NABIs and New Flyers.
Bus Numbering System
The MTA has a unique bus numbering system, for buses ordered prior to the New Flyers is a 4 digit numbering system, with the first two digits representing the year the buses were ordered in and the second two digits representing the number of the bus out of the total number of buses ordered for that year, for example, 0223 is a Neoplan bus ordered in 2002 and is the 23rd bus in the 2002 fleet.
For the New Flyer buses, MTA changed the numbering system to a 5 digit numbering system due to the fact that the order reached over 100 buses, for example, the bus number of the bus in the picture, 06003, is a New Flyer bus ordered in 2006 and is the 3rd bus in the 2006 fleet.
Local Bus Routes
Local bus service is divided into four types. Standard bus routes are numbered, and provide the majority of the service for MTA. For the most part the standard routs operate in a spoke like system, with routes starting out in the suburbs and traveling into the city towards the downtown.
Included in the local bus service are the “M” lines. These routes, designated as M followed by a number, are designed to serve as feeder routes for the Metro Subway. The “M” lines are concentrated in the northwest part of the city and suburbs, in the vicinity of the Metro Subway. Recent years have seen a reduction in the number of “M” lines due to elimination and consolidation of services.
MTA also operates so called “Express Buses”; these routes should not be confused with “Express service” on the local standard bus routes or the Commuter bus services. These routes offer limited service from downtown Baltimore to several Park and Ride lots that surround the city is the suburbs. They are generally identified with a 3-digit number. The number of existing express routes has declined over the past two decades as new rapid transit services have been constructed, and poor-performing routes are eliminated or consolidated.
In 2005, MTA introduced a new form of express transit, known as the no. 40 line. The line operates every 12-15 minutes from the western to the eastern suburbs of Baltimore through the downtown area, serving various communities in West and East Baltimore. Stops are limited to transfer points to other bus lines and other major intersections or points of interest. Unlike other express buses, local fares are applicable on the no. 40 line. Some major points of interest served by the no. 40 bus include the Social Security Administration, the West Baltimore commuter rail station, University of Maryland Baltimore campus, downtown Baltimore, and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. The no. 40 line was introduced as a temporary measure until construction of a new rapid transit line proposed for the next decade is complete.
Neighborhood shuttles
Neighborhood shuttles, also known as Shuttle Bugs, are another form of the Local bus service that MTA operates. Theses routes are focused on specific neighborhoods and the transportation of persons around these neighborhoods. Currently MTA Maryland operates two such routes.The neighborhood shuttle buses were initially Thomas transit buses which didn't hold up too well on Baltimore streets and were eventually sold. 30' Flxibles are now being used on the neighborhood shuttle routes known as "shorties" due to the shortness of a 30' bus compared to a regular 40' bus and some NABI buses are used. MTA has ordered some 30' New Flyers to operate on the routes to replace the old 30' Flxibles.
The Hampden Shuttle Bug (route 98), identified by a ladybug, was the first of these so-called Neighborhood shuttles to begin operation. The shuttle make a circular route through the Baltimore neighborhood of Hampden. Mondawmin Metro Shuttle (route 97), identified by a grasshopper, is the second shuttle service operated by MTA Maryland, the focus of its service is the area in and around the neighborhood of Mondawmin, specifically serving the Mondawmin stop on the Metro-Subway.
Plans were made to launch other shuttle services throughout Baltimore and into some of the suburbs, but the expansion of the service has been put on indefinite hold, with MTA putting its resources into other projects.
Commuter busses
MTA operates commuter bus service on 21 lines serving Baltimore and communities in Howard and Harford counties, as well as Washington, DC, and communities in western and southern Maryland counties. This service is provided during rush hours on weekdays only.Rail
The Maryland Transit Administration has two principal forms of rapid transit, the Baltimore Light Rail and the Baltimore Metro Subway. The light rail leads from Glen Burnie (Cromwell) to Hunt Valley, Maryland, with two spurs one going to BWI Airport and the other to Penn Station. The subway system leads from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland to Owings Mills, Maryland.
The Maryland Transit Administration completed double tracking of its light rail system in early 2006. Meanwhile, it has been sending its Metro cars out to be rehabbed. The Maryland Transit Administration is also competing with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to obtain federal funding to build a maglev train route from Washington D.C. to Baltimore, Maryland.
Paratransit
MTA Maryland was among the first transit agencies to offer paratransit for persons with disabilities. This "Mobility Service" is a non-fixed route service and consists of fleet of specially converted Ford F-350's and Ford Crown Victorias. Some service is contracted out to MV Services and Veolia Transportation, but all vehicles are owned by MTA. Transportation is arranged in advance by caller reservation.The one-way fare on these vehicles is $1.80, but those who qualify for parantransit have the ability to use their Paratransit ID card to ride any other mode of MTA transit, whether bus, light rail, subway, or water taxi, free of charge.
Taxi Access
A sub-service of the Paratransit program is MTA's Taxi Access program, designed with technology made by a company called MJM Management. The Taxi Access program ensures that any sufficiently physically disabled person that consistently requires for Paratransit service can also qualify for the Taxi Access program. The Taxi Access program allows the bearer of a Taxi Access card to take a taxicab door-to-door within the limits of anywhere MTA Paratransit vans go; i.e. within 1/3 of a mile of an MTA public transit stop of any kind. Once the trip is complete, total out-of-pocket cost for the customer is $3.00, and the MTA picks up the rest of the price of the fare, "paying" it to the driver in the form of a voucher that s/he later redeems at his/her cab company headquarters.Fare Information
All information in this section is current as of April 2006.
- The one-way fare for local Baltimore services of MTA Maryland fixed-route public transit, including light rail and subway, is $1.60.
- Day passes cost $3.50.
- Weekly passes cost $16.50
- Monthly passes cost $64.00.
- One way fare is $0.55
- Day passes cost $1.20
- Weekly passes cost $16.50
- Monthly passes cost $16.50
- $1.00 per ride
- $0.50 per ride for disabled/senior citizens.
- One way fare is $2.00. $0.95 for disabled/senior citizens.
- Day Passes cost $3.50 plus an additional $0.40 per ride. $1.20 plus an additional $0.40 per ride for disabled/senior citizens.
- Weekly passes cost $16.50 plus an additional $0.40 per ride.
- Monthly passes cost $80.00. $16.50 plus an additional $0.40 per ride for disabled/senior citizens.
Fare Collection Methods
The Maryland Transit Administration, prior to the Summer of 2005, used an old, antiquated fare collection system which involved printing out a piece of paper with the date on it for a day pass and for transfers for students. The system had flaws in that some people wrote the wrong date on the day pass and was allowed to board the bus on that date for free, and students were passing their transfers to other students out the window and they used it to board the bus for free. People also sold day passes after use and they were accepted by the driver even though the ticket that was printed stated "THIS TICKET IS NON-TRANSFERRABLE." One former Maryland Transit Administration bus operator was arrested and charged with theft because every time he worked, this driver would board the bus 30 minutes before his scheduled shift and printed out over 300 day passes and then sold them on the street.From Summer 2005 to the present, the Maryland Transit Administration has switched to a new fare collection method which uses a modern, state-of-the-art fareboxes that issue magnetic stripped day passes which can only be used on that day because the machine encodes the date and expiration time in the magnetic strip (Day passes expire at 3:00 AM) and transfers when swiped through the magnetic reader, validates the pass and a time limit is placed on the pass so that a person cannot transfer the pass to another person to use for free boarding which was a huge problem with the previous system, the transfers also expire after the 90 minutes as well. The fareboxes that MTA ordered can also accept credit cards for payments but it is unknown if MTA will take advantage of that feature. Magnetic passes, known as Go Passes, are also being used for weekly and monthly passes. Soon, the Maryland Transit Administration will sell smart cards for $5.00 under the name, Maryland Transit Pass, similar to WMATA's smart card system, the SmarTrip card. The smart card when sold, will not be activated. To activate the card, the user must add money to the card. The fareboxes on all buses will allow users to insert money and add value to their smart card. When the Maryland Transit pass system is fully implemented, it will be used not only on just Maryland Transit Administration transit services, but will also be able to be used in Washington D.C. on all WMATA buses and on the Washington Metro and in Northern Virginia. The smart card will also be able to be refilled automatically each month through registering the card with MTA and providing MTA with credit card information. It is currently unknown if the WMATA SmarTrip card can be accepted by the fareboxes used by the MTA.
Special Programs
Special Agreement with the Baltimore City Public School System
A special agreement is set up between the Baltimore City Public School System and the Maryland Transit Administration to allow all eligible BCPSS students (usually students who live outside a predetermined area surrounding the school) during a school year to receive one color-coded booklet of dated tickets for each month with a ID card with a special number printed on the booklet and on the lower-right hand corner of the ticket itself. The tickets allow students to ride on MTA buses, light rail, and subway for free going to and from school (there are two dated tickets for each day). The ID card with the special number is to verify that the student is the rightful owner of that ticket booklet, however, many MTA drivers do not ask for the ID card or they ask for it but don't verify that the number on the ID card matches the number on the ticket itself. Another abuse of the tickets are some students uses the tickets during the school day to go to other places than to school in the morning. The tickets are valid from 6 :00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. only unless stamped with a official school stamp that usually includes the school name and address which is for special school-related events which go past 6:30 p.m.. If a student, going home, needs extra time or needs to transfer to another bus, or to the light rail or subway, they can ask for a transfer from the bus driver which expires 90 minutes from the time it is issued.Maryland Transit Administration College Pass
The Maryland Transit Administration has a special program set up with 24 Baltimore area colleges and universities which allows college students who are enrolled in a minimum of 6 hours per week with the 24 colleges and universities can receive a monthly pass for $39.00. To disallow abuse, there are strict criteria for buying a college monthly pass, students are only allowed to buy one college pass from the college or university they are currently attending and the college must see the college or university issued ID card and verify the student is enrolled in the college at a minimum of 6 hours per week. Students are not allowed to buy a college monthly pass for family, friends, or other students. Students using a college monthly pass must have a college or university issued ID displayed at all times when riding on all Maryland Transit Administration buses, light rail trains, and subway trains. Each of the 24 colleges and universities receive a certain number of college monthly passes each month and after the certain number is sold out, the MTA does not send any more to the college or university. Usually, the college monthly passes sell out by the second or third week of each month.Currently participating colleges and universities in the MTA College Pass program
- Anne Arundel Community College (Bookstore)
- Baltimore City Community College – Liberty & Harbor Campuses (Cashier’s Office)
- Baltimore International College (Accounting Office)
- Catonsville Community College (Bookstore)
- College of Notre Dame of Maryland (Student Life Center)
- Coppin State College (Cashier’s Booth)
- Dundalk Community College (Bookstore)
- Essex Community College (Bookstore)
- Harrison Career Institute (Office)
- Johns Hopkins University – Homewood Campus (Garland Hall)
- Johns Hopkins University – School of Medicine (Office of Financial Affairs)
- Johns Hopkins University – School of Nursing (Student Accounts)
- Johns Hopkins University – School of Public Health (Business Office)
- Johns Hopkins University – School of Radiology (8 Market Place)
- Morgan State University (McKeldin Hall Student Center)
- North American Trade Schools – Security Blvd. (School Office)
- Sojourner Douglass College (Bursar’s Office)
- TESST College – Caton Ave. (Front Office)
- TESST College – Towson ( Business Office)
- Towson University (University Ticket Office)
- University of Baltimore (Business Office)
- University of Maryland at Baltimore (Parking Services)
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County - UMBC (The Commons, Ste 309)
- Villa Julie College (Student Union)
Criticism
Criticism of the bus system from everyday working class transit-dependent Baltimore residents include that the system is slow, that its buses (even the new ones) break down far too often; and that the system is too unreliable to ensure that workers on wage-based work can get to their jobs on time. In 2005, MTA responded to the latter complaint by restructuring several bus routes, but according to most, overall transit quality in the Baltimore region has not improved. The restructuring included the elimination of several lines and special branches on other lines, making it impossible for some riders to reach their jobs, and more difficult for others. As a result, MTA and the Maryland General Assembly have delayed making any additional changes until further hearings, public input, and review, and MTA has further modified or reconsidered some of its original proposals to change some of its routes.External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.