Ride On Bus Service Reducing Sunday Due To Driver Shortage

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Ride On Flex and other extra bus services will be suspended starting Jan. 16, as an increasing number of drivers sick with or exposed to COVID-19 leaves Montgomery County bus services with limited capacity.

There will also be a temporary service schedule change, which will be announced next week. The county said that student capacity will remain the same and the Senior Program Transportation service will continue.

“We have not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic bus service levels and hate to pull back,” said Dan Hibbert, MCDOT chief of transit, in a news release. “These temporary changes will be fairly minimal from where we currently are, but riders need to be able to plan. With these changes, we will be operating at about 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels. We just don’t have the drivers available to maintain our current schedule and be dependable.”

Riders can expect more service than there was during previous cuts in the pandemic, but about half of the routes will have less frequent trips. Overall, about 9 percent of service will be reduced, the county said.

“We are doing all we can to ensure consistency within our transit system for our community members who depend on it,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin in the release. “It is imperative that riders know what to expect. This service change will provide a more reliable service.”

Ride On Bus service is free for all riders until at least July 2. Face coverings are required on all public transportation.