Press Releases - Department of Transportation

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich will be joined by County Council President Kate Stewart and Federal and State officials to celebrate the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) Ride On bus system’s 50th Anniversary at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 2 at the Marian Fryer Town Plaza in Wheaton.   

MCDOT’s Ride On bus system was launched in 1975 with 20 buses servicing Takoma Park and Silver Spring. Today, Ride On has a fleet of almost 400 ADA-accessible buses, which served 18 million riders throughout Montgomery County in fiscal year 2024, providing 65,000 weekday passenger pickups. MCDOT’s Ride On bus system is the second largest in the region, operates seven days a week and provides over 80 routes with 5,425 bus stops.   

In addition to the standard Ride On bus service operating throughout the County, Ride On services also include:   

• Ride On extRa, a limited stop, high-frequency service on Route 355/Rockville Pike and the Pink and Lime routes servicing the Great Seneca area including the Shady Grove Life Sciences Corridor.   

• Ride On Flex, an on-demand transit service in defined Rockville and Glenmont/Wheaton zones.  

• Flash Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service which runs along US 29/Colesville Road between Downtown Silver Spring and Briggs Chaney/Burtonsville. The County has plans to expand Flash to provide upgraded, high-frequency service to interconnect the County though a Flash Network.   

WHAT: Press conference marking the 50th Anniversary of the MCDOT’s Ride On bus system.   

WHEN: Friday, May 2, 10 a.m.   

WHERE: Marian Fryer Town Plaza, 2424 Reedie Drive, Wheaton (The Park and Planning Building Lobby across the street has been reserved in case of rain).   

WHO:  

• County Executive Marc Elrich  

• County Council President Kate Stewart  

• County Councilmember Evan Glass 

• Maryland State Senator Jeff Waldstreicher  

• Maryland Delegate Linda Foley  

• Maryland Delegate Jared Solomon  

• Maryland Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Joe McAndrew  

• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Chief Transportation Officer Leroy Jones  

• MCDOT Director Chris Conklin  

• Forty-six-year Ride On bus operator Bill Oliver  

• Lifelong rider Susanne Brunhart-Wiggins  

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: There will be group photos at the end, wrapped 50th Anniversary Ride On buses, student artwork from an middle school contest and a walk-through photo display of Ride On buses over the years.  

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