The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is celebrating the 55th anniversary of Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22 and will offer free rides on County buses including Ride On, Ride On extRa, Ride On Flex and Flash Bus Rapid Transit.  

Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement. Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, EarthDay.org's mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. The theme for Earth Day 2025 is "Our Power, Our Planet," and invites everyone around the globe to unite behind renewable energy and to triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030.

“By choosing to walk, bike or take public transportation, you are helping to reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion, as well as saving money and improving your health," said Montgomery County Executive Elrich. "We have expanded access to public transportation with innovative transit solutions such as Flash BRT and Ride On Flex, and by upgrading our infrastructure to create safer pathways for cyclists and pedestrians. I encourage our residents to take advantage of the free fare and support sustainable transportation in celebration of Earth Day.” 

MCDOT offers a free trip planning app, Ride On Trip Planner, that provides transportation planning across multiple modes regionally including Ride On, Metro and Bikeshare. The app gives estimated travel times, cost and real-time Ride On bus arrivals.   

Riders who want to try Ride On Flex, the County on-demand bus service operating during weekdays in Rockville and Wheaton, can download the Ride On Flex app for free from the Apple or Google store or contact the call center at 240-301-3842. Flash BRT provides a higher frequency of service than typical bus schedules and amenities like USB charging, level boarding and pre-payment of fare for faster service. The first Flash BRT corridor is already in operation on U.S. 29, Colesville Road/Old Columbia Pike, traveling between Downtown Silver Spring and Briggs Chaney, with stops as far north as Burtonsville during weekday rush hour periods. 

“MCDOT is excited to once again to offer free fare in celebration of Earth Day,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “Last year we experienced a 20% growth in ridership over the previous fiscal year and hope to encourage even more people to switch to public transit. We recently released the results of our Ride On Reimagined study, which will guide our efforts to transform our transit system to provide faster, more reliable bus service serving more people in more areas. Now is an excellent time to try public transit.” 

The Ride On Reimagined Bus Service and Implementation Plan is the culmination of over two years of research, coordination and planning.  

The plan features one-year, five-year, and long-term plans and a long-term vision, which focus on rerouting existing bus routes and adding new services to improve connectivity and efficiency. The long-term vision outlines plans to expand express and on-demand bus services in Montgomery County, which includes eight new Flash bus rapid transit (BRT) lines, four Ride On extRa lines and 19 new Ride On Flex zones. The plan also aims to convert nearly 400 MCDOT Ride On buses to a zero-emission fleet to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support climate action efforts. 

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

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