Increase number of RTA passenger boardings to 1 million by FY 2025
Objective Description
Trend Analysis
RTA ridership declined drastically between 2019 and 2020, which is consistent with ridership declines across the region and nationally due to the Covid related public health travel restrictions and service reductions. These measures went into effect in the middle of March 2019 reducing ridership to an estimated 350,000. Despite the pandemic, the County continues to invest in the bus fleet with a planned purchase of 11 transit buses, bus stop accessibility and amenity improvements, real-time bus arrival and trip planning, and mobile fare ticketing for riders. These improvements will further increase reliability, convenience and comfort of our transit service. Additionally, the RTA will be restoring the vast majority of service by July 11, 2021 and is planning additional service modification for September 2021 that should result in increased ridership. Projections on when transit ridership will return to pre-pandemic levels is difficult to gauge at this point but the Office of Transportation will be revisiting longer term projections in late 2021.
Strategies
- Implement the Consolidated Transit Plan's recommendations.
- Expand and adjust transit routes to improve service, efficiency and effectiveness.
- Incorporate transit-related recommendations into review comments on development applications.
- Improve the reliability of Regional Transportation Agency (RTA) service by adding new buses to the
fleet and maintaining older vehicles.
- Upgrade bus stop facilities, including shelters and sidewalk connections.
- Work with Howard County Public Schools to increase usage by public high school students living near and going to schools located on existing or previously planned route.
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Source: Office of Transportation