Ride On, formerly Ride-On, is a local bustransportation system in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Managed by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, Ride On primarily serves Montgomery County, with short segments of service crossing borders into Prince George's County and Washington, D.C. It is a separate entity from WMATA, which also provides a bus service in Montgomery County, along with a rail service. Ride On operates on 82 routes throughout Montgomery County.
In fiscal year 2018, it operated with a US$112.3 million budget.[4] In 2025, the system had a ridership of 19,640,400, or about 66,200 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2025, making it one of the most heavily ridden suburban bus systems in the United States.[5]
History
Ride On's former logo, used in the 1970s and 1980s
Ride On's former logo, used from the mid-1990s to late 2008
1970s–1990s
Ride On began service on March 31, 1975, as Ride-On, in response to WMATA asking Montgomery County to pay for the operation of Metro Bus routes within the county. Serving Silver Spring and Takoma Park, two routes were in operation with 20 buses: the Blue and the Green. Within a few weeks, Ride-On was carrying twice the number of passengers projected: about 2,000 riders per day. Ride-On was the first major local bus operator to emerge in the DC Region following the formation of Metro Bus in 1973.[citation needed]
In the fall of 1984, as the Washington Metro'sRed Line extension to Shady Grove station was complete, Ride On saw its largest route expansion to date. Numerous routes were added to accommodate passengers who would utilize the eight new Metrorail stations along the western portion of Montgomery County.[citation needed]
2000s
In 2000, Ride On buses were painted in a special livery to commemorate Ride On's 25th anniversary.[6]
In 2006, Ride On began accepting SmarTrip cards and in August of that year, all the Ride On buses started to be equipped with compatible fareboxes.[9]
2010s
On May 20, 2011, a Ride On bus crashed into a KFC restaurant in Glenmont around 7:30 AM. Authorities believed the driver passed out while making a left turn onto Georgia Avenue and lost control of the bus due to having a heart attack. There were three passengers on the bus; the driver and one of the passengers were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. The only occupant in the building of the crash was not injured, and the building suffered with minor damage.[10][11][12]
Ride On celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015 with certain buses wrapped in the transit agency's 40th anniversary livery.[13]
In 2017, Ride On Extra Route 101, a new Peak-Hour limited stop service, was launched with service between Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg and Medical Center Metro in Bethesda. The route provided a more frequent alternative to existing routes in the corridor, with limited stops and running every 10-15 minutes.[citation needed]
MCDOT Ride On received a $4.365 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to replace diesel buses with 10 new battery electric buses on October 1, 2018.[14] Ride On added the new battery-electric buses to the fleet in 2019.[citation needed]
2020s
In March 2020, Ride On significantly altered bus service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] Many routes were suspended with other routes having significantly reduced service.[16] Fare collection was also suspended until July 2022.[17]
Also in 2020, the first two lines of the FLASH BRT were launched along US 29 between Briggs Chaney and Silver Spring, with peak hour service continuing to Burtonsville. FLASH was the second BRT system to be launched in the DC Region, after WMATA's Metroway in Virginia.[citation needed]
In July 2023, Ride On launched their official mobile app, Ride On Trip Planner, created in partnership with Moovit. The app provides trip planning tools and real-time arrival information for Ride On buses.[18]
On December 27, 2023, a Ride On bus crashed into a house in Silver Spring around 7:30 PM. The driver reportedly lost control of the bus while entering a roundabout, hit a parked car, and collided with the side of the house. There were no passengers on the bus, and the house was not occupied at the time.[19][20] It was later discovered that the same vehicle had previously been involved in the aforementioned KFC incident in May 2011.[21]
In September 2024, the first phase of the Great Seneca Transit Network was launched, with two new Ride-On Extra Routes being added to serve the Life Sciences region and the Universities at Shady Grove. The Pink and Lime Routes run frequent service all-day and weekend services.[citation needed]
Ride On celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025 with several buses featuring a special 50th anniversary wrap.[22] Later that year, the agency launched the first phase of it's "Ride On Reimagined" transit master plan. Most of the changes in this phase were made to complement WMATA's system-wide Better Bus Network Redesign which took effect on the same day. It also eliminated all fares on all of its transit services beginning the same day, becoming the 4th operator in the DC Region to go fare-free, after DASH, TheBus, and CUE Bus.[23]
Ride On offers 82 routes throughout Montgomery County. All the routes run through peak rush hour periods between 6 and 9 AM and between 3 and 7 PM on weekdays. Many routes offer services for off-peak hours and weekends as well.[25] The following table contains the full list of local and supplemental routes currently in operation.
Peak Hour Trips via Fort Deterick (AM to Lyttonsville, PM to Silver Spring).
5
Select Trips serve Victory Forest Apartments.
12
Select Trips via Twelve Oaks Drive on Request.
14
Select Weekday Takoma-Bound Trips via Eastern Middle School.
19
Select PM Trips serve Parkway Plaza
20
Select Weekday Trips extend to Cresthaven
30
Select Trips via Whitley Park Terrace
32
Persimmon Tree Road and Eggert Drive served in the Peak Direction Only (AM to Carderock Springs, PM to Bethesda)
36
Peak Hour Trips via Hillandale Road (AM Inbound, PM Outbound)
38
Select Trips via Westfields Wheaton
Select Weekday Trips serve the Holiday Park Senior Center
43
Weekday Trips via Gaither Road (6AM-8PM Only)
45
Select Weekday Trips serve the Rockville Senior Center
52
Service on portions of the route run Peak-Direction Service Only
Avery Treatment Center served in the Peak Direction Only (AM to Olney, PM to Rockville)
Select Trips operate to the Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
53
Service on portions of the route run Peak-Direction Service Only
Non-Stop Express between Norbeck Road and Glenmont Metro
Serves the IIC P&R in the Peak Direction Only (AM to Glenmont, PM to Shady Grove/Olney)
Some Peak-Direction trips operate non-stop along MD-200 to and from Shady Grove
Select Trips via Magruder HS
54
Limited Peak-Hour Service to NIST
Select Trips via Muddy Branch Shopping Center, Mon-Sat Only
55
Buses do not serve Montgomery College Germantown on Sundays
56
All Weekday Trips operate via Edison Park
58
Peak Hour Trips serve Turkey Thicket Drive
59
Peak Hour Trips going towards Montgomery Village bypass Walker's Choice
75
Select Weekday trips via Clarksburg HS
Peak Hour service extends to Germantown MARC Station
76
Poolesville served during Weekday Peak Hours Only
Off-Peak and Saturday Service ends at Quince-Orchard High School
78
Peak Hour Trips via Metropolitan Grove (AM to Shady Grove, PM to Kingsview)
83
Peak Hour service extends to Germantown MARC Station
90
Some segments of the line change routings throughout the day
Midday Service extends to Milestone P&R
County Airpark served towards Shady Grove in the AM and towards Damascus/Milestone in the PM
97
AM Clockwise, PM Counter-Clockwise
Peak Hour trips via Germantown MARC Station
98
Select Weekday Trips via Germantown Community Center
Peak Hour Service to Cinnamon Hill
Select Saturday Trips via Maryland Soccerplex
301
First and Last two trips do not serve Glenstone
FLASH Orange
Peak Hour, Peak Direction service to the FDA White Oak Campus (AM to Briggs Chaney, PM to Silver Spring)
Regional Transit Hubs
Montgomery County's bus network is anchored by several "Super Hubs" that serve as multi-modal gateways. The ongoing construction of the Purple Line, a 16-mile light rail line scheduled to open in late 2027, is the primary driver of infrastructure updates at these locations. Ride On serves 13 Metrorail stations and numerous transit centers that facilitate these regional connections.
Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center (Silver Spring): The county's largest hub, connecting Ride On, Metrobus, MARC, and the Metrorail Red Line. In early 2026, the station saw temporary closures to finalize the Purple Line platform on the third level (north side), which will allow seamless transfers between bus levels and light rail.
Takoma Langley Crossroads Transit Center: Located at the intersection of University Blvd and New Hampshire Ave, this $35 million facility serves as the primary "East County" anchor. It is currently being integrated with a major Purple Line stop to link Langley Park residents to both Bethesda and New Carrollton.
Bethesda Transit Center: A massive engineering project is nearing completion to connect the deep-level Red Line station to the new Purple Line terminus. As of February 2026, construction on the South Entrance is advancing to link the two systems, and the Capital Crescent Trail tunnel is slated to reopen by late 2026 or early 2027.
Shady Grove & Rockville: These remain the primary hubs for the MD-355 corridor. While not directly on the Purple Line, they are being upgraded with enhanced Flash BRT docking stations to feed passengers into the county's growing high-capacity transit spine.[26][27]
Along with standard bus service, Ride On operates three additional services, Ride On extRa, Ride On Flex, and Flash BRT.
Ride On extRa
Logo of Ride On extRa
Ride On extRa is a limited stop bus service to complement major local bus routes by following similar routing but making fewer stops to help speed up travel time.[28]
Route 101 began service on October 2, 2017, complementing routes 55 and 46 along Maryland Route 355, serving 13 stops from Medical Center Station in Bethesda to Lakeforest Transit Center in Gaithersburg. The route operates every 10-20 minutes in both directions with service during weekday peak hours only.[29]
The Great Seneca Transit BRT Network began service on September 8, 2024, with the first phase consisting of two routes, Pink and Lime, with another two routes planned for the second phase. The Pink and Lime routes both start at Shady Grove station and end outside The Universities at Shady Grove campus, but follow different routing to provide service to the Great Seneca Life Sciences Complex and various neighborhoods and business districts in Gaithersburg. Both routes operate daily with varying service levels.[30]
Ride On Flex
Logo of Ride On Flex
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, Wheaton, and also White Oak, Sandy Spring as of February 2026. using 11-passenger cutaway buses.[31][32] Passengers are able to request a bus using an app. The new service never charged a higher fare, and accepted the same payment methods as standard Ride On buses with no onboard fare loading allowed.[33]
In 2019, the agency stopped the issue or acceptance of paper transfers, requiring all riders to use a SmarTrip card in order to get discounted fares and free transfers.[42] Children aged five and up also became eligible to use Ride On, as well as Metrobus services originating in Montgomery County, for free at all times until leaving high school through the Youth Cruiser SmarTrip card.[43]
Fares were suspended from March 2020 to July 2022 in response to COVID-19. On August 1, 2022, Ride On set one-way fares at $1.00 regardless of payment method, while qualified riders were allowed to ride fare free.[citation needed]
In 2025, the Montgomery County Council elected to make all the buses free, eliminating all the fares starting on June 29, 2025.[44]
Last buses to be delivered in the 2nd-Gen Blue and White Livery.
2009
Gillig Low-Floor 40ft
5747-5757
First Buses to be delivered in the 3rd Gen Blue, Green and Yellow livery.
2009
Gillig Low-Floor 29ft
5007-5031
One has been retired after crashing into a house in Silver Spring in 2023. It was previously involved in another accident in 2011 where it crashed into a KFC in Glenmont.[47][19][20]
2012
Gillig Low-Floor 40ft Hybrid
5361-5367
Last order of Hybrid buses for Ride-On.
2013
Gillig Low-Floor 40ft
5759-5770
2013
Gillig Low-Floor 29ft
5032-5059
All units have been repainted into the 2019–Present 4th Gen Livery.
2014
Gillig Low-Floor 40ft CNG
5837-5855
First Gillig CNG buses to be delivered to Ride-On.
2014
Gillig Low-Floor 29ft
5060-5091
Some units have been repainted into the 2019–Present 4th Gen Livery.
2016
Gillig Low-Floor 40ft
44000D-44039D
2016
Gillig Low-Floor 40ft CNG
44040C-44056C
2016
Gillig Low-Floor 29ft
42000D
2017
Gillig BRT Plus 40ft
44057D-44072D
All units use the Ride On extRa livery.
2017
Gillig Low-Floor 40ft
44073D-44080D
2017-2018
Gillig Low-Floor 40ft CNG
44081C-44118C
2019
Gillig Low-Floor 40ft CNG
44119C-44141C
Last Order of CNG Buses for Ride-On, and the first buses to use the 4th Gen Livery.
2019
Gillig Low-Floor 40ft
44142D-44144D
2019-2020
NovaBus LFS (A) Articulated
46000D-46015D
Used for the FLASH BRT service.
Third Operator of Articulated buses in the DMV after WMATA and DASH.[48]
5267 was 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, and was renumbered to 27.
↑Montgomery County Department of Transportation (July 2025). "Montgomery County Transit System Map"(PDF). Division of Transit Services. Retrieved February 28, 2026. Ride On, Ride On extRa, Flex, and Flash serve more than 80 routes throughout the County. Most routes serve one or more of 13 Metrorail stations and 8 MARC stations.
↑Montgomery County Department of Transportation (January 2026). "Ride the Flash: Bus Rapid Transit Hubs and Projects". Montgomery County Maryland Government. Retrieved February 28, 2026. Flash provides service on US 29 with 12 stops from Silver Spring Transit Center to Briggs Chaney and Burtonsville. Service includes near-level boarding and expansion into Howard County in late 2026.
↑MCDOT & DGS. (2024). Zero Emission Bus Transition Plan. Montgomery County, MD. https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT/Resources/Files/ZEBTransitionPlan_textAlternative.pdf
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