Ride On (bus)

Primary public transportation system in Montgomery County, Maryland

Ride On (formerly Ride On) is the primary public transportation system in Montgomery County, Maryland. Managed by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, Ride On serves Montgomery County as well as the community of Langley Park in Prince George's County and Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D. C. In fiscal 2018, it operated on a US$112.3 million budget. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of
Ride on has a fleet of about 400 buses and operates 81 routes, including operating two Metrobus routes on weekends.

Ride On began service on March 31, 1975, as Ride On. Serving Silver Spring and Takoma Park, two routes were in operation: The Blue and the Green. Within a few weeks it was carrying twice the number of passengers projected: about 2,000 riders per day. The Buses were nineteen passenger Grummans. Starting in 1983, single front door TMC City Cruisers entered service. These buses were part of a joint order with Frederick City Transit, and shared the same paint livery. In the fall of 1984, as the Washington Metro's Red Line extension to Shady Grove was complete, Ride On would see its largest route expansion to date. Numerous routes would be added to accommodate passengers who would utilize the eight new metrorail stations along the western portion of Montgomery County. At that time, Ride On would begin to replace a few WMATA routes that operated in Montgomery County. OBI Orion I 30' foot buses would be introduced that same year to allow for the added service. In 1989, 57 30 foot Gillig Phantom buses, the first buses in the second generation blue and white scheme, went into service. In 1991 and 1992, 45 new Orion I 30' buses Ride On's last Orion Is entered service. In the spring of 1996, Ride On's first CNG buses, the 1996 35 feet Orion V buses, went into service. These buses retired in 2009.

In 2000, Ride On buses were painted in a special livery to commemorate Ride On's founding's 25th anniversary. In September 2001, Ride On buses were used to transport Montgomery County firemen to the Pentagon in Virginia to assist in search and rescue operations after the attacks which were on September 11, 2001. In 2001, the 2001 40 feet Orion V Diesel buses (5580 5591 and 5612–5623) went into service. In 2002, the 2002 40 feet Orion V Diesel buses (5592 5611) went into service. These were the last high floor buses, until the RideOn Flex buses. In early 2004, Ride On's first low floor buses, the 2003/2004 35 feet Orion VII CNG buses (5900–5932) went into service. They replaced all of the remaining 1988 1989 30 feet Gillig Phantom buses (5300 5356),
which were also Ride On's last buses without wheelchair lifts, therefore resulting in an all accessible fleet. In 2005, 15 New Flyer C40LF buses (5822 5836) went into service. In 2006, Ride On started accepting SmarTrip cards. All of the ride on buses are equipped with GFi GENFARE, starting from August 2006. Also, in 2006, the 2005 35 feet Orion VII CNG buses went into service (5933 5957). Additionally, Ride On's first five hybrid electric buses, the 2006 40 feet Gillig Low Floor aka Gillig Advantage buses (5300 5304, formerly 5750–5754), went into service. In 2007, 8 Gillig Advantage Hybrid 40 feet buses (5305 5313, formerly 5755–5763) went into service. Also, in 2007, an order of Champion cutaway buses (5182–5231 and 5285–5296) went into service. All of these buses had fire damage and they all were retired 5 years later, on July 18, 2012. Between summer and fall 2008, Ride On's first low floor diesel buses, the 2008 29 feet Gillig Advantage Diesel buses (5001 5006) and the 2008 40 feet Gillig Advantage Diesel buses (5726–5746) went into service. All of these buses were the last buses in the second generation blue and white paint scheme. In 2009, Ride On introduced a new logo and a blue/yellow/green paint scheme. Also, in 2009, the Gillig Advantage 29 feet diesel buses (5007 5031), the 40 feet Gillig Advantage diesel buses (5747 5757), and the 40 feet Gillig Advantage Hybrid buses (5314 5348) went into service.

On autumn 2011, 12 of the Ride On's 40 foot Gillig Low Floor hybrid buses (5349–5360) and one clean diesel bus (5758) went into service. All 13 of these buses were purchased with funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Seven additional 40' Gillig Low Floor hybrid buses (5361–5367), which were also purchased with stimulus funds from the ARRA, went into service in mid 2012. In 2011, the 2008/2009 40 feet Gillig Advantage Diesel buses (5726 5757) transferred to the Gaithersburg bus depot. In July 2012, all 62 of the 2007 Champion cutaway Ride On buses retired due to fires and got replaced with 30 of the 1999 30 feet Orion V buses (renumbered 5100–5129). All 30 of these units were formerly operated by Washington's WMATA. On September 19, 2013, 12 new 40 foot Gillig Low Floor clean diesel buses (5759–5770) went into service. A week later (September 26, 2013), 28 new 29 foot Gillig Low Floor clean diesel buses (5032–5059) also went into service. Also, the 2013 29 foot Gillig Low Floor clean diesel buses replaced all of the 2003 model shuttle transit vehicles (STV) that were formerly operated by Pittsburgh's Port Authority of Allegheny County. In April 2014, 19 of the brand new 2014 40 foot Gillig Low Floor CNG buses (5837–5855) entered service. These replaced Ride On's first 40 ft CNGS (5803 5821). They are Ride On's first new CNG buses in almost a decade (2005 35' Orion VII CNG buses, which went into service in 2006). Between September and October 2014, 32 of the new 29 foot Gillig Low Floor clean diesel buses (5060–5091) went into service, and replaced all of the 1999 30 feet Orion V buses (5100 5129) that were formerly operated by WMATA. Ride On celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015, with 3 buses (1 from each of the 3 bus divisions) wrapped in the transit agency's 40th anniversary ad. In 2016, between April and May, 40 of the new 40 ft Gillig LF clean diesel buses (44000D 44039D), 1 bus which is 29 ft Gillig LF clean diesel (42000D) and 16 of the 40 ft Gillig LF CNG buses (44040c 44055c) entered service. And with the new buses came the new five digit numbering system for Ride On, along with the addition of suffixes denoting engines with a ("C" for compressed natural gas, "D" for diesel, "E" for electric and "H" for hybrid). Ride On extRa, a new limited bus stop service along Maryland Route 355, began on October 2, 2017, between Lakeforest Transit Center and Medical Center Metro Station. as of 2018, the route serves 13 stops. Ride On added 59 Gillig 40 foot buses in summer and the fall 2017; 42 buses replaced some of the oldest vehicles in the fleet. Seventeen buses (4056D 4072D) are specially branded and used exclusively for Ride On's new extRa service that began October 2, 2017. This limited stop service runs along Route 355 from Lakeforest Transit Center to Medical Center Metro Station. All of the 59 buses are manufactured by Gillig; 25 run on clean diesel (4056D 4080D) and 34 use compressed natural gas (4081C 4114C). Four additional 40 foot CNG buses (4115C 4118C) entered service in the winter of 2018. These replaced all of the 2003 Orion VIIs and most of the 2004 Orion VIIs

Ride On was award a $1.75 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to purchase the county's first four electric buses and charging stations. Ride On is partnering with Proterra, the bus manufacturer, and the Center for Transportation and the Environment, a nonprofit that develops technologies and implements solutions to achieve energy and environmental sustainability. The Montgomery County Department of General Services, which purchases and maintains the Ride On buses, greatly assisted with the grant application. The four Proterra Catalyst 35 ft electric buses are scheduled to serve Route 18 in Takoma Park starting in 2019. The county has applied for a separate grant to help buy 10 more electric buses through FTA's Bus and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program. The county expects to hear back around the end of the year if its application was approved. MCDOT Ride On received a $4.365 million grant from the FTA to replace diesel buses with 10 new, electric buses on October 1, 2018. Ride On added 26 Gillig 40 foot buses in spring 2019; replacing all the remaining Orion VII's. These buses introduced a brand new paint scheme with a wave pattern and are painted blue, dark blue, light green, and a touch of white. 23 use compressed natural gas (4119C 4141C) and 3 run on clean diesel (4142D 4144D). On April 28, 2019, Ride On announced Ride On Flex, an on demand bus service that runs in three major metropolitan areas in the county using new, 11 passenger cutaway buses (1000D 1006D).

MCDOT has a climate action plan to move to zero emissions fleet by 2035. On September 4, 2020, Ride On's first four fully electric buses (43000E 43003E) entered service on the routes 18 and 25 in Silver Spring and Takoma Park. They are manufactured by Proterra and can run on a single charge all day long. That same year, 39 of the 29 feet buses (42001D 42039D) and 9 of the 40 feet Gillig Advantage Diesel buses (44145D 44153D) entered service. These replaced the 2008/2009 29 feet Gillig Advantage Diesel buses, and the 2006/2007 Gillig Advantage Hybrid buses. On October 14, 2020, Ride On launched its brand new BRT Flash service on US 29. The orange route operates between Silver Spring and Briggs Chaney every 15 minutes daily while the blue route operates between Silver Spring and Burtonsville every 15 minutes only during peak hours (5:30AM to 8:30 AM and 3:30PM to 7:00 PM) Monday Friday. Ride On's very first articulated (62 feet) buses (46000D 46015D) operate on the Flash service, which replaced Ride On route 129 and WMATA route Z11

In 2022, all of the ride on buses changed their announcement narrator, getting a new announcement narrator to replace the old narrator. The new narrator says all of the bus stop names 2 times. On Friday, September 30, 2022, all of the 2008 40 feet Gillig Advantage Diesel buses (5726 5746) retired. This led to the Gaithersburg bus depot getting 9 of the 2013 40 feet diesel buses (5762 5770) from Silver Spring Garage in December 2022 to replace the 2008 40 feet Gillig Advantage Diesel buses. In March 2023, Ride On's first Gillig Plus Battery Electric buses (44154E 44163E) entered service. 44158E entered service on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. In July/August 2023, Ride On brought back 3 of the 2008 40 feet Gillig Advantage Diesel buses (5737, 5744, and 5746) to operate for the FLASH BRT service.

Along with standard bus service, Ride On operates three additional services, Ride On extRa, Ride On Flex, and Ride On Flash.

Ride On extRa is a bus service that started on October 2, 2017, and is a limited bus stop service via Maryland Route 355 between Medical Center station on WMATA metro train's red line and the Lakeforest Mall Transit Center. This bus route has free WiFi, USB charging ports, and more padding in the seats compared to traditional Ride On services. The fare charged is the same as on other Ride On buses, although fare loading on the bus is not permitted. as of 2018, Ride On extRa serves a new bus stop at Templeton Place in Rockville, MD, increasing the number of bus stops to 13.

Ride On Flex is an on demand bus service that began serving Montgomery County on June 26, 2019, and runs in and around Rockville, Glenmont, and Wheaton using new, 11 passenger cutaway buses. Passengers are able to request a bus using an app. The new service does not charge a higher fare, and accepts the same payment methods as standard Ride On buses with no onboard fare loading allowed.

Flash is a bus rapid transit network that began service on October 14, 2020. The first route runs between Silver Spring and Burtonsville along U. S. Route 29. Flash has dedicated stops with prepayment machines and operates in a mix of mixed traffic and dedicated lanes using articulated buses equipped with Wi Fi and USB ports. It is the second BRT system in the Washington metropolitan area and the first in Montgomery County.

as of 2022, Ride On's current one way fare is $1.00 regardless of payment method. Children, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities can ride for free. Fares were suspended from March 2020 to July 2022 in response to COVID 19. Prior to that, Ride On's one way fare was $2.00 regardless of payment method. Senior citizens and persons with disabilities could ride free on weekdays between 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM, and on Saturdays between 8:30 AM and 4:00 PM; at all other times, a reduced fare of $1.00 was charged. as of 2019, children ages 5 and up can ride Ride On, as well as Metrobus routes originating in Montgomery County, for free until they graduate from high school by using a Youth Cruiser SmarTrip card. Ride On offers a $0.50 discount for bus fares that transfer from the Washington Metro. As with all other transit providers in the Washington Metropolitan Area, as of 2009, Ride On stopped the issue or acceptance of paper transfers. Riders wanting transfer credit must use a SmarTrip card to get the rail to bus or bus to rail discount or to transfer free from bus to bus.

Ride On operates a fleet consisting of Diesel, CNG, Diesel electric hybrid, and Battery electric buses produced by Gillig Corporation, Nova Bus, Proterra, and Starcraft. ImageBuilder andmodel nameModel yearLengthNumbers(total) Vehiclesin serviceFuel type Notes Gillig Advantage200840 feet (12 meters)5726 5746 (21 buses)3Diesel5737, 5744, and 5746 were brought back from retirement in July/August 2023 to operate for the Flash BRT service. All of the other buses retired on Friday, September 30, 2022. Gillig Advantage 2009, 2011, 2013 40 feet (12 meters) 5747 5770 (24 buses) 19Diesel5747 5757 are 2009 models. 5747 5757 transferred to the Gaithersburg bus depot in 2011. 5749 5757 transferred back to the Silver Spring bus depot between 2017 and 2018. 5749 5757 transferred back to the Gaithersburg bus depot in November 2021 due to the Silver Spring bus depot getting the 2020 40 feet Gillig Advantage Diesel buses (44145D 44153D). 5752 and 5757 retired in 2021 and are being used for parts. 5751, 5753, and 5754 are training vehicles. 5753 is sometimes used on regular routes to train Ride On operators. 5747 5750 and 5755/5756 are the only active buses. 5756 was a training bus, but was put back in regular service in March 2024. 5758 is a 2011 model. 5758 has a Cummins ISL engine, sounding similar to the 2009 gillig buses. 5759 5770 are 2013 models. 5762 5770 transferred to the Gaithersburg bus depot in December 2022 to replace the 2008 40 feet Gillig Advantage Diesel buses (5726 5746). 5769 and 5770 transferred back to the Silver Spring bus depot in January 2024. Gillig Advantage 2009, 2011, 2012 40 feet (12 meters) 5314 5367 (54 buses) 53Diesel electric hybrid5314 5348 are 2009 models. 5348 was retired due to damage from an accident. 5349 5360 are 2011 models. 5352 was involved in an accident. It crashed into a house. Since returned to service! 5361 5367 are 2012 models. Gillig Advantage 2009, 2013, 2014, 2016 29 feet (8.8 meters) 5008, 5011, 5017, 5025, 5027, 5032–5091, 42000D(66 buses) 64Diesel 5008, 5011, 5017, 5025, and 5027 are 2009 models. 5008, 5011, 5017, 5025, and 5027 were brought back from retirement in July/August 2022 due to the new route 27 service between Hillandale and Tech Rd. 5008 was retired due to damage from an accident. 5032 5059 are 2013 models. 5033 transferred to the Silver Spring bus depot in January 2024 to replace 5008. 5059 was involved in an accident. It was struck by a truck on I 270. Since returned to service! 5060 5091 are 2014 models. 5060 5091 have been painted into a new paint scheme. 5091 was retired due to fire damage. 42000D is a 2016 model. Gillig Advantage 2014 40 feet (12 meters) 5837 5855
(19 buses) 18Compressed natural gas (CNG)The first gillig advantage CNG buses for Ride On. 5855 is being used as a training vehicle. 5840 was retired due to damage from an accident. Replaced the 1999/2000 Orion V CNG buses. Gillig Advantage 2016 40 feet (12 meters) 44000D 44039D (40 buses)40Diesel Replaced the 2001/2002 35 feet Orion V Diesel buses (5580 5623). Gillig Advantage 40 feet (12 meters) 44040c 44055c
(16 buses) 16Compressed natural gas (CNG)44049c was involved in an accident on July 12, 2022. It returned to service a week later! Starcraft Bus
Allstar XL 2016 30 feet (9.1 meters) 59 61(3 buses) 3 Gasoline The first starcraft buses for Ride On! Only operates on Route 301. Only buses (and route) operated by an outside contractor (Jewish Council for the Aging). 59 is plain white with Ride On decals, 60 has the 2019 2022 paint scheme, and 61 has the 2009 2017 paint scheme. 59 and 61 rarely operate. GilligBRT Plus 40 feet (12 meters) 44056D 44072D(17 buses) 17 DieselIt is a RideOn extRa bus! Gillig Advantage2017 44073D 44080D(8 buses) 8 44073D was involved in an accident on July 6, 2022. Since returned to service. Replaced the 2003/2004 Orion VII CNG buses. 2017/2018 44081C 44118C(38 buses) 38 Compressed natural gas (CNG) 44081C 44114C are 2017 models. 44115C 44118C are 2018 models. 44104C was involved in accident circa 2022. Replaced the 2003/2004 Orion VII CNG buses. StarcraftStarlite Transit 2019 30 feet (9 m) 41000D 41006D(7 buses) 7 Diesel It is a RideOn Flex bus! Gillig Advantage 40 feet (12 m) 44119C 44141C(23 buses) 23 Compressed natural gas (CNG) Replaced the 2005 Orion VII CNG buses (5933 5957). 44142D 44144D(3 buses) 3 Diesel Nova Bus LFS Artic 62 feet (19 m) 46000D 46015D(16 buses) 16 It is a Flash BRT bus! Entered service on October 14, 2020. Second non WMATA operated articulated buses in the Washington area after DASH. The 2 Flash BRT routes Blue and Orange replaced WMATA’s route Z11 and MCDOT’s route 129. ProterraCatalyst BE35 35 feet (11 m) 43000E–43003E(4 buses)4Battery electric The first all electric transit buses for Ride On! Replaced the 2006 40 feet Gillig Advantage Hybrid buses (5300 5304). Gillig Advantage 2020 40 feet (12 m) 44145D 44153D(9 buses) 9 Diesel Replaced the 2007 40 feet Gillig Advantage Hybrid buses (5305 5313). 2020 29 feet (8.8 meters) 42001D 42021D(21 buses) 21 Replaced the 2008/2009 29 feet Gillig Advantage Diesel buses (5001 5031). Gillig Advantage202129 feet (8.8 meters)42022D 42039D (18 buses)18DieselReplaced the 2005 New Flyer C40LF buses (5822 5836). Gillig Plus 202240 feet 44154E 44163E (10 buses)10 Battery electric44156E and 44158E entered service on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, and the rest of the buses entered service in March 2023.

These routes have been served by Ride On at one point but have since been discontinued due to either low ridership, duplication of another route, simplification to other routes, or combined into another route. However some routes would be reincarnated into new routes for Ride On. + Former Ride On routes Route Name Terminus (Western/Southern) Terminus (Eastern/Northern) Notes 2A Silver Spring – Lyttonsville Silver Spring Station Temporary replacement for Route 2 during construction of the Lyttonsville Place bridge in 2018. Ran in a clockwise loop from Silver Spring to Lyttonsville Road & Claridge House, and back. Discontinued on January 11, 2019, after construction was completed. 2B Silver Spring – Lyttonsville Silver Spring Station Brookville (Ride On Operations Center) Temporary replacement for Route 2 during construction of the Lyttonsville Place bridge in 2018. Ran from Silver Spring to the Ride On Operations Center via 16th Street, 2nd Ave and Brookville Road. Discontinued on January 11, 2019, after construction was completed. 10 (first use) Silver Spring – Northwood Silver Spring Station NorthwoodDiscontinued on June 28, 1992. Replaced by realigned route 8 and extended route 19. 11 (first use) Silver Spring – Takoma Silver Spring Station Takoma Station Discontinued in the early 1980s; replaced by extended route 3. 21 (first use) Silver Spring – Parkside Plaza Silver Spring Station Parkside Plaza 21 (second use) Silver Spring – Lyttonsville Brookville (Ride On Operations Center) Silver Spring Station 21 (third use) Burtonsville Shuttle Briggs Chaney Park & Ride Burtonsville Park & Ride Northbound operated on Columbia Pike via Greencastle Park & Ride. Southbound operated on Old Columbia Pike. Only ran midday on weekdays. Discontinued on January 4, 2002. 22 (first use) Silver Spring – Paddington Square Paddington Square Silver Spring Station 26 (first use) Grosvenor – Wheaton Grosvenor Strathmore station Wheaton Station Operated via Plyers Mill Road and Strathmore/Knowles Avenues. Discontinued on June 28, 1992; replaced by extended route 7. 27 (first use) Friendship Heights – Medical Center Friendship Heights Station Medical Center Station Discontinued on September 7, 2003, due to low ridership. Alternative service available on extended Route 33 and realigned Route 36. 31 (first use) Glen Echo – Bethesda Glen Echo Bethesda Station Replaced by Route 29 in early 1996. 35 Wheaton – Montgomery Mall Montgomery Mall Transit Center Wheaton Station Discontinued on September 1, 2002; replaced by extended route 47 and realigned Route 34. 40 (First Use) Wheaton Plaza Shuttle Wheaton Station Operated as a midday and weekend shuttle between Wheaton Station and Westfield Wheaton. Discontinued on July 25, 1998; replaced by route 9. 40 (Second Use) White Flint – Glenmont North Bethesda Station Glenmont Station Discontinued in early 2001; replaced by extended WMATA Metrobus route C8. 41 (first use) Shady Grove Shopper Shuttle Rockshire Shopping Center Gaithersburg (Ride On Operations Center) Operated as a lunch hour shuttle. 41 (second use) Wheaton – Aspen Hill Wheaton Station Grand Pre Road & Bel Pre Road (Aspen Hill) Originally replaced Metrobus Route Q3 in 1996. Discontinued on July 25, 1998; replaced by extended route 34. 42 (first use) White Flint – Rockville North Bethesda station Rockville Station Via Old Farm and Tilden Woods 42 (second use) Friendship Heights – Medical Center Friendship Heights Station Medical Center Station Combined with Route 34 on May 4, 2008. 46 (first use) Twinbrook – Layhill Twinbrook Station Layhill Via Arctic Avenue and Bel Pre Road 49 (first use) 50 51 (first use) 55 (first use) Rockville Dorsey Mill Rockville Station Dorsey Mill Rd & Waters Hollow Rd 61 (first use) Shady Grove Station Germantown Shady Grove Station Montgomery College Germantown Campus 62 Shady Grove – Germantown Shady Grove Station Montgomery College Germantown Campus Discontinued on May 28, 2005. 63X Shady Grove – Gaither Road Shady Grove Station Gaither Road & Gaither Drive Served as a supplement to Route 63, connecting passengers from the Gaither Road industrial area to Shady Grove Metro during the midday and late night. Started service on January 6, 2019. Combined with route 63 on May 12, 2019. 66 (first use) Shady Grove – Shady Grove Hospital Shady Grove Station Discontinued by 1998. 67 (first use) Shady Grove – Shady Grove Hospital Shady Grove Station Discontinued by 1998. 68 Germantown MARC Shuttle Germantown MARC Looped around the Germantown MARC Station. Discontinued on May 28, 2005. 92 Bethesda Shuttle Bethesda Station Became operated by the Bethesda Urban Partnership on September 3, 2006. 93 US – HHS – Twinbrook Station Twinbrook Station DHHS Parklawn Shuttle (Fishers Lane) Discontinued on September 17, 2017, due to low ridership. Discontinued on July 2, 2021, due to the closure of the Montgomery College Germantown MassVax site. Additionally, Ride On ran one weekend route that is served by WMATA Metrobus on weekdays. This route has since been discontinued due to the same reason as other discontinued Ride On routes. + Ride On Routes Route Name Termini (Western/Southern) Termini (Eastern/Northern) Notes Z2 Colesville – Silver Spring Olney (Spartan Rd & Georgia Ave) Silver Spring station Saturday Service Discontinued on January 12, 2013, due to low ridership. Weekday service is still operated by Metrobus, See Colesville–Ashton Line for history.