March Madness has hit the Montgomery County Department of Transportation's (MCDOT's) Ride On “What Drives You” contest. To celebrate the excitement of the annual season, Ride On bus services is asking riders to submit stories highlighting positive experiences with Ride On bus service. Submissions will be entered into a weekly drawing throughout March for a prize pack, which includes a gift card and Ride On giveaways.   

“Ride On makes a difference in people’s lives every day,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich.  “It gets people to work, school, medical appointments and elsewhere.   Public transit is a critical service, and it’s important to hear directly from riders about their experiences. This contest gives people a chance to share how Ride On has helped them. Their stories remind us why investing in transit matters.”  

Riders are asked to share their story in one of three ways:   

1. Share your story on the website submission page.  

2. Post your story on Instagram, X, or Facebook and tag the @RideOnMCT account.  

3. Email your experience to [email protected] for a chance to win.  

Eligible entries may be used to further publicize the contest. The contest will run indefinitely, with a winner typically chosen each month. Winners are announced via email, Instagram, X, Facebook and Bluesky within the last week of each month.  

In March 2024, MCDOT’s Ride On launched the "What Drives You" campaign aimed at amplifying voices and stories of riders. The campaign collects rider experiences with a series of monthly contests. A recent winner, Deepti, wrote in to talk about how she, along with her family, utilizes Ride On to reduce her impact on the environment.  

"Ride On drives me...wholly and solely,” said Deepti. “I have wanted to do my bit to reduce my carbon footprint. As part of that, I sold my car in October of this year and am now car-free. Before I took the final plunge, I did a trial run for nine months to see if I could survive without a car. During that period, I relied solely on Ride On to commute to work. The trial run made me realize that being car-free was absolutely doable, and to boot I realized that I enjoyed taking the bus. Since I sold the car, we rely on Ride On to run our weekly errands as well. My eight-year-old son absolutely loves taking the bus, more so than he did riding the car. We use bikes for last-mile connectivity, but it's mostly the bus that we rely on. Thank you Ride On...we literally can't do without you!"  

MCDOT’s Ride On bus operates about 80 bus routes and 5,400 bus stops throughout the County. In fiscal year 2024, Ride On serviced 18 million riders.   

“In its nearly 50 years of service, our Ride On bus service has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of millions of riders,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “People use the service to help them get to school to build skills and earn degrees, get to work to provide for their family, attend medical appointments, and other essential trips. We love hearing the stories about how Ride On has impacted our ridership’s lives for the better. Montgomery County is lucky to have elected officials that understand the massive impact and value of our transportation network has.”  

Ride On bus fare is only $1 and monthly passes are $22.50 using SmarTrip, cash or tokens. Seniors age 65 or older, persons with disabilities and youth ages 18 and under all ride free using specialized SmarTrip cards.    

For the most up-to-date bus service information, follow @RideOnMCT on X, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. In addition, information is available at rideonbus.com, by subscribing to receive email alerts or by texting MONTGOMERY RIDEON to 468311 to receive text alerts.     

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