TransIT

Transit Services
of Frederick County
Headquarters	1040 Rocky Springs Road
Locale	Frederick, Maryland
Service area	Frederick County
Service type	bus service, paratransit, commuter services
Routes	14
Fleet	33 buses
Website	Transit Services

Last updated December 05, 2024

TransIT Services of Frederick County is a public transportation agency in Frederick County, Maryland, that is operated by the county government. The agency currently operates 9 Connector bus routes, mostly in the city of Frederick, 5 shuttles, and demand-response for seniors and persons with disabilities.^[1] TransIT provides connections to other public transportation services in the region, including the MTA Maryland's routes 204 and 515 commuter bus and MARC Train service. According to the agency's homepage, the service had approximately 909,800 boardings in FY 2012.^{[ citation needed ]}

Fares

In April 2014, the fare for a one-way trip using Transit for the general public was $1.25 with a monthly pass costing $45.00. In June 2014, the one-way trip fare for the general public increased to $1.50. At the same time, the fare for TransIT Plus also increased.^[2]

Youth and students do not get a discount on one-way trip fare, but do get a discounted rate of $30.00 for a monthly pass. Seniors and disabled persons have a discounted one-way trip fare of $0.60 and a discounted monthly pass rate of $30.00. Ten trip passes can be purchased for $12.00 for the general population, $8.00 for students and youth, and $5.50 for seniors and disabled persons. Transfers are free, and most routes have timed transfers with other routes at the TransIT Center, which is at the city's downtown MARC rail station.

If the bus needs to deviate from its normal route for a stop, an additional $1.50 is charged to the passenger and 24 hours heads up must be given.^[3] Currently Transit is free to ride on all connectors and shuttles.

Fleet

TransIT currently has a fleet composing of full length buses for their connector routes as well as cut-away para transit vehicles used for shuttles and TransIT+ services. Currently, the fleet subsets are replaced and returned on average every 14 years, the maximum service life for a bus permitted by Maryland law.

Currency there are 28 buses and 35 para-transit cut-away buses on the active fleet, along with several minivans, and passenger cars used for various TransIT special needs services.

Former fleet

The original Frederick City Transit bus system utilized several former Frederick County Public School buses fitted with rear exit doors. These buses were numbered 101 and 102 and painted white.

Frederick City's first new bus order consisted of 1981 vintage TMC T-30 Citycruiser thirty foot buses (a license-built version of the Ontario Bus Industries (OBI) Orion I), which served the original Red and Blue Routes and were numbered 200–203. Frederick City purchased one lone Orion I thirty foot model transit coach built in 1987 (old faithful, number 204) to serve the new White Route that ran from downtown to the city's north end.

Soon after the formation of TransIT Services of Frederick County, TransIT purchased four new Orion V, thirty foot models (numbered 322–325) in 1994 to replace the original three TMC buses. The Orion V buses wear the new green over white color scheme. Due to acceptance testing delays, TransIT operated for several weeks under a combination of the original TMC/Orion I fleet and three thirty foot Flxible Metro buses on loan from Maryland MTA. The MTA buses however were suburban models and lacked a rear exit door.

In 2001, TransIT ordered five Thomas Dennis SLF-230 low-floor buses (numbered 917–921). Service was announced and expanded before the new buses arrived due to a delivery delay from the builder. Rather than delay service for 13 months, five small front engine used Spartan/Champion "Breadboxes" (re-badged, Goshen "Transette" buses) were purchased for short term use. The breadbox buses were used for the old "FLEX" routes, which supplemented the connector routes. The low-floor Thomas buses arrived in 2002 and the breadboxes stayed in service until the last ones were sold in 2010.

Due to increase service demand, several more used Breadboxes were purchased later the same year. All of the breadboxes arrived with front entry doors and a rear wheelchair lift at the very back end of the coach. However, the first order had black banding around the windows while the second order did not.

Year	Manufacturer	Model	Length (ft)	Propulsion	Fleet series	Total
1976	Superior	Pioneer 40	40'	Diesel	101–102	2
1981	Transportation Manufacturing Corporation	Citycruiser	30'	Diesel	200–203	3
1987	Orion	Orion I	30'	Diesel	204	1
1994	Orion	Orion V	30'	Diesel	322–325	4
1997	Champion Bus Incorporated	Breadbox	25'	Diesel	246–248	3
1998	Champion Bus Incorporated	Breadbox	25'	Diesel	872–874	3
2002	Thomas Dennis	SLF-230	30'	Diesel	917–921	5
2003	Orion	Orion V	30'	Diesel	922–928	7
2004	Orion	Orion V	30'	Diesel	060–066	7

Current fleet

In 2003, TransIT purchased seven new standard Orion V models (numbers 922–928) with an additional seven delivered in 2004 (numbered 060–066). In 2005, the old Frederick City Transit—number 204 was sold, ending the era of the Frederick City Transit blue over white colors.

In March 2010, TransIT bought six new Gillig Advantage buses that have replaced the aging 300-series acquired when TransIT formed in the early 1990s. These buses have a simplified stripe which does not slope up over the windows on to the roofline at the rear of the bus.

Two additional Gillig Advantage low floor buses arrived, purchased with federal grants, the new buses sport a different paint livery and are the first hybrid buses in the system. These buses have a battery pack on the roof and use a Cummins ISB engine.

TransIT took bids in late 2013 to replace the five SLF400 buses nearing their service life. In 2015, TransIT placed an order for five re-manufactured, Gillig Advantage all-electric buses from Complete Coach Works (CCW). The new buses are numbered 779-783 and entered revenue service on June 1, 2016. Due to unreliability issues, they were retired in the spring of 2024.

In 2018, TransIT acquired six new hybrid buses split between two deliveries of ElDorado National E-Z Rider II buses to replace older high floor buses that were removed from service due to reliability issues or accident damage. The first batch of three buses 956-958 entered service in July 2018, while the second group 122-124 entered service in October 2018.

In late 2019, TransIT began receiving four new K7M thirty-foot buses from Chinese builder BYD. The first of these buses began testing in March, before finally entering revenue service in July. As of December 2020, all four buses, 364-367 have been accepted and are now in service replacing the last few remaining Orion V buses from the 2005 order.

A temporary bus, #959, a Champion Defender, thirty-foot bus was acquired used to make up a shortfall in the roster until new buses on order arrive in mid-2021 to begin replacing the 2010 Gillig Advances buses which are now at the end of their usable service life. These buses are being retired early due to service reliability issues.^[4]

In June of 2023, TransIT Gillig Advantage bus 981 had been retired with 982-986 expected to follow suit due to state service life requirements. Six new ENC EZ-Rider II buses are expected to be delivered shortly starting with 39652. As of December 2024, four buses have entered service. No additional ENC buses are expected as the builder has ceased operations on October 31, 2024.

In November 2023, TransIT acquired several former Maryland MTA buses that the system had dispositioned could sitting of 35 and 40 foot New Flyer buses which include XD40 Xcelsiors and D40LFRs.

Buses are numbered according to the last three digits of Frederick County's purchase requisite number which results in a non-linear asset number.

Year	Manufacturer	Model	Length (ft)	Fuel type	Fleet Series	Total
2010	Gillig	Advantage Low Floor	30'	Diesel	981–986 (981 has been retired) 982-986 being replaces as new ENC buses arrive.	5
2011	Gillig	Advantage Low Floor HEV	35'	Hybrid	157-158	2
2016	Complete Coach Works/Gillig	Advantage Low Floor ZEPS	35'	Electric	779-783 (all units retired as of August 2024)	5
2018	ElDorado National	E-Z Rider II	32'	Diesel	956-958	3
2018	Champion	Defender	30	Diesel	959	1
2019	ElDorado National	E-Z Rider II	32'	Diesel	122-124	3
2020	BYD	K7M	30'	Electric	364-367	4
2024	ElDorado National	E-Z Rider II	32'	Diesel	39652-39653 & 39740 (three in service)	3

Routes

TransIT routes are ten based, with the first digit designated to the part of the city/county the bus runs outbound to. 10 line buses operate from outside of downtown. 20 line routes run south Frederick, while 40 line buses serve the west end of the city. 50 line routes serve the west-to-southwest areas along the Jefferson Street corridor and Patrick Street sharing much of the same route as 40 line buses. 60 line routes serve the north end. 80 line routes serve the north end to the northwest side of the city including Ft. Detrick and the Yellow Springs area.

Routes that end in one (e.g. 51) run on an alternative route from their zero based counterpart. These routes began service in 2013.

One anomaly to the routing is the number 65 Walkersville Connector; so designated as an in-fill route after all available route numbers in the ten based system were in-use when the route began in 2011. In 2021, the Route 85 Shuttle was officially numbered as the nunber 85 service.

Currently there are no 30 or 70 line routes in service.

During peak hours, starting in 2014, the number 20, 40, 50, 51 and 60 buses run every half-hour. These buses are designated with a P after the route number denoting it is a peak hour, extra bus. Example, the number 50 bus may show as the 50P.

In the fall of 2024, the Route 40 connector was renamed the Golden Mile Connector to better reflect the service area.

Route Number	Name	Places Served
10	Mall-to-Mall Connector	Francis Scott Key Mall, Frederick Towne Mall
20	Francis Scott Key Mall Connector	Monocacy MARC station, Francis Scott Key Mall
40	Golden Mile Connector	Golden Mile area
50	Frederick Towne Mall Connector via Prospect Boulevard	Frederick Towne Mall
51	Frederick Towne Mall Connector via 7th Street	Frederick Towne Mall
60	Frederick Community College Connector via East Street	Frederick YMCA, Frederick Community College
61	Frederick Community College Connector via Taney Ave	Frederick Community College
65	Walkersville Connector	Walkersville, Monocacy Village
80	North-West Connector	Frederick Community College, Frederick Towne Mall
85	Route 85 Shuttle	Business and industrial parks of southern Frederick
ET	Emmitsburg-Thurmont Shuttle	Business and industrial parks in Emmitsburg
BJ	Brunswick-Jefferson Shuttle	Business and industrial parks in Brunswick
EF	East Frederick Shuttle	Frederick Fairgrounds, MVA
MTM	Meet-the-MARC Shuttle	Point of Rocks Station, Frederick Transit Center
NF	North Frederick Shuttle	Frederick Transit Center, Rt. 26 Area

Discontinued routes

In early 1994, the Red, Blue and White routes from the Frederick City Transit were discontinued. The Red Route was replaced by the #50, the Blue Route was replaced by the #40 and the White Route was replaced by the #60.

In August 2012, Route 30 was disconnected replaced by the new 50/51 routes. Route 70, Midtown Connector was replaced by the new 60/61 route.

Related Research Articles

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people throughout five counties in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It also manages projects that maintain, replace, and expand its infrastructure, facilities, and vehicles.

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area. There are 80 bus lines serving the Baltimore Metropolitan Area, along with rail services that include the Light Rail, Metro Subway, and MARC Train. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 52,922,000, or about 216,900 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MetroCard</span> Public transit payment system in the New York City area

The MetroCard is a magnetic stripe card used for fare payment on transportation in the New York City area. It is a payment method for the New York City Subway, New York City Transit buses and MTA buses. The MetroCard is also accepted by several partner agencies: Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE), the PATH train system, the Roosevelt Island Tramway, AirTrain JFK, and Westchester County's Bee-Line Bus System.

The Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) is the local bus system serving Nassau County, New York. It also serves parts of western Suffolk County, New York as well as eastern portions of the New York City borough of Queens. It was formerly operated under the name of MTA Long Island Bus – a division of MTA Regional Bus Operations. The MTA took over the operation of county buses in 1973 from ten private bus companies. In 2011, the owner, Nassau County, decided to outsource the system to a private operator, Veolia Transport, due to a funding dispute with the MTA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unitrans</span> Public transit agency based in Davis, CA

Unitrans is the transit system which operates in and around the campus of the University of California, Davis. It takes its name from an abbreviation of the words "University Transport". Excepting several managerial and maintenance positions, Unitrans is managed and operated entirely by students of the University of California, Davis who usually work part-time while attending school. The system is well known throughout the area for its use of several distinctive ex-Transport for London double-decker buses, as well as its fleet of modern natural gas single-decks. The system has 18 weekday, 1 school-centered and 6 weekend routes. Current fares are $1.50 for the general public and included in student fees for undergraduate University attendees. Unitrans is one of a small number of transit systems in the United States to operate double deck buses in regular (non-sightseeing) service. Unitrans has one of the best safety records of any public transit system in the US.

Lynx is a transit system serving the greater Orlando, Florida area. Operated by the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority, it provides bus, curb-to-curb, and paratransit services in three counties: Orange, Seminole, and Osceola. Bus routes are referred to as Links.

SamTrans is a public transport agency in and around San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into portions of San Francisco and Palo Alto. SamTrans also operates commuter shuttles to BART stations and community shuttles. Service is largely concentrated on the east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and, in the central county, I-280, leaving coast-side service south of Pacifica spotty and intermittent.

CUE Bus is a bus service operated by the City of Fairfax, Virginia, and is completely separate from the Fairfax Connector bus service run by Fairfax County. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 945,900, or about 3,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

Metrobus is a bus service operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Its fleet consists of 1,595 buses covering an area of 1,500 square miles (3,900 km²) in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. There are 269 bus routes serving 11,129 stops, including 2,554 bus shelters. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 103,438,600, or about 393,300 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

The Delaware Transit Corporation, operating as DART First State, is the only public transportation system that operates throughout the U.S. state of Delaware. DART First State provides local and inter-county bus service throughout the state and also funds commuter rail service along SEPTA Regional Rail's Wilmington/Newark Line serving the northern part of the state. The agency also operates statewide paratransit service for people with disabilities. DART First State is a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT).

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 2023, the system had a ridership of 16,644,600, or about 59,800 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

The Gillig Phantom is a series of buses that was produced by an American manufacturer Gillig Corporation in Hayward, California. The successor to the long-running Gillig Transit Coach model line, the Phantom marked the transition of Gillig from a producer of yellow school buses to that of transit buses. The first transit bus assembled entirely by Gillig, the Phantom was produced exclusively as a high-floor bus.

Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) was the public transit system headquartered in Burlington in Chittenden County, Vermont. CCTA served the communities of Burlington, Essex, South Burlington, Winooski, Shelburne, Williston and Milton. As well as providing regular bus routes to these member municipalities, CCTA also served parts of Colchester and had express routes for commuters travelling between Burlington and Montpelier, Middlebury, and St. Albans.

The Maryland Transit Administration provides the primary public bus service for the Baltimore metropolitan area and commuter bus service in other parts of the state of Maryland. There are currently 76 bus routes, which include 45 LocalLink routes, 12 High Frequency CityLink Routes routes, 8 express bus routes, 19 commuter bus routes, and 5 Intercounty Connector or "ICC" routes. The local and commuter bus routes operate in conjunction with one subway line, three light rail lines, MARC train service, and various connections to other transit agencies.

A transit pass or travel card, often referred to as a bus pass or train pass etc., is a ticket that allows a passenger of the service to take either a certain number of pre-purchased trips or unlimited trips within a fixed period of time.

CyRide is a partnership between Iowa State University, the ISU Student Government, and Ames, Iowa. CyRide provides public transportation to the community throughout the city of Ames. The word CyRide is a portmanteau of two words: Cy and the word ride. In January 2012, CyRide was recognized "as the nation’s small urban transit system with the highest number of rides per capita" at 106 rides per capita. In 2019, CyRide ranked third in the nation with 110.2 rides per capita, behind the transit systems of New York and San Francisco.

Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) operates mass transit service in Greater Des Moines. It is the largest public transit agency operating in the state of Iowa.

The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) is the public body responsible for the transportation needs throughout Reno, Sparks and Washoe County, Nevada. The RTC, founded by the Nevada Legislature in 1979, is an amalgamation of the Regional Street and Highway Commission, the Regional Transit Commission and the Washoe County Area Transportation Study Policy Committee. They provide public transportation services, street and highway construction, and transportation planning. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 5,162,600, or about 18,300 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

Green Mountain Transit (GMT) is the regional public transit system based in Burlington, Vermont, which was formed in 2016 through the merger of two more localized transit systems: the Chittenden County Transportation Authority and the Green Mountain Transit Authority. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,774,100, or about 7,300 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. It is the largest public transit agency in the state of Vermont.

Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT) provides public transportation for Manatee County, Florida and is operated by the county. the system had about 4,100 riders per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

References

↑ "Ride Guide". Frederick County MD - Official Website. TransIT Services of Frederick County. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
↑ "Fares Effective 7/30/12". Frederick County MD - Official Website. Frederick County Government. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
↑ "TransIT Fare Policy and Passes". Frederick County MD - Official Website. Frederick County Government. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
↑ Loos, Kelsi (August 25, 2015). "TransIT plan includes route adjustments, more service" . Frederick News-Post. Retrieved 19 October 2020.

External links

TransIT services home page
Frederick MARC Train Schedule
"TransIT Services of Frederick County". Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board Wiki.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[ride_guide-1] "Ride Guide". Frederick County MD - Official Website. TransIT Services of Frederick County. Retrieved 29 June 2023.

[2] "Fares Effective 7/30/12". Frederick County MD - Official Website. Frederick County Government. Retrieved 15 April 2014.

[transit_fare.-3] "TransIT Fare Policy and Passes". Frederick County MD - Official Website. Frederick County Government. Retrieved 4 April 2014.

[4] Loos, Kelsi (August 25, 2015). "TransIT plan includes route adjustments, more service" . Frederick News-Post. Retrieved 19 October 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]