Low Ridership Threatens 'M Route' Bus

A rush hour bus that shuttles commuters between Piney Orchard and the Odenton MARC Station could be eliminated due to low ridership, a county transportation planner said. 

The "M Route" bus, which costs $1 per ride and runs during peak MARC hours, averages fewer than 25 riders per day, which is not enough to justify its operation. County officials have scheduled a meeting for June 11 to seek feedback on ways to improve the service in order to boost ridership.

"We're just frustrated," said George Cardwell, the transportation planning administrator for Anne Arundel County. "We're trying to do the right thing, but the fact of the matter is we're just not carrying enough passengers."

Cardwell said the bus needs at least 40 or 50 passengers to be worthwhile. Currently, there are days when as few as 13 people ride the bus. 

The M Route bus was put in service in the spring of 2011. The two buses that follow the route were paid for using federal stimulus dollars, and the county has about $150,000 set aside for its annual operating budget to cover the cost of drivers, gas and maintenance.

Currently, the M Route bus stops at several key intersections in Piney Orchard, as well as the main shopping center. Officials have tweaked the route's schedule several times to be more in line with MARC's peak schedule, but ridership has not increased.

"We want to find out what we did wrong and if there's something we can do about that," Cardwell said. "The service make sense on its face, but the fact is we're not reaching even what we thought would be modestly achievable numbers."

There has been some interest by residents in expanding the service to include portions of Four Seasons or other nearby neighborhoods. Cardwell said doing that would make the route longer, and therefore less speedy. 

Central Maryland Regional Transit operates the bus under a contract with the county.

The M Route bus was initially touted as a way for commuters to avoid the need to use their cars and deal with traffic getting to the MARC station. But Cardwell said commuters are still drawn to the availability of free parking at the station. 

Cardwell said there is no specific timeline on when a decision would be made on whether to end the service or not. If the service does end, the buses could be used to add bus service elsewhere in the county. Cardwell said that there has been some demand for expanded bus service in portions of Severn and Glen Burnie. 

The public meeting on the M Route bus will take place June 6 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Piney Orchard Elementary School. 

"We want to hear from people on what we can do to make this bus run better," Cardwell said. 

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the date of the public meeting. It will be held June 6 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Piney Orchard Elementary School.

See also: 

• Riding the Piney Orchard MARC Bus