Regional transportation planners in Maryland are calling for a new bus system to serve residents in Howard, Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties.
The Capital reports Howard County Transportation Administrator John Powell proposed forming a single nonprofit transportation authority to serve all three counties. Howard and Anne Arundel have agreed to the idea. Annapolis is considering it along with other cities. Public transportation is currently operated by Central Maryland Regional Transit, a private nonprofit organization which has a contract with Howard County and receives grants from Anne Arundel County, the Maryland Transit Administration, the Maryland Department of Transportation, and other agencies.
To get from Annapolis to Columbia currently, it would take at least three bus rides, with transfers having to be made at Glen Burnie and Arundel Mills.
Job growth in central Maryland is motivating calls for a better system. Fort Meade, Arundel Mills, the National Security Agency, the Maryland Live! casino and BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport are all areas creating jobs.
Powell says counties could save up to $1.8 million by combining transit services into one agency.
