EDITOR’S NOTE: This release has been updated to reflect that based on rider feedback, MDOT MTA is delaying any changes to bus service to work with major employers to ensure core services are met. CityLink, LocalLink, and Express BusLink routes will continue to operate on the existing schedules.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

BALTIMORE, MD (March 17, 2020) – The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) remains committed to transporting Marylanders to essential services and essential emergency and healthcare personnel to their jobs in the Baltimore-Washington region. With the number of people working from home and heeding the call for social distancing, transit ridership continues to decline in response to COVID-19. With reduced ridership, MDOT MTA will begin implementing service reductions on all vehicle modes effective tomorrow, March 18. A complete list of service reductions is available at www.mta.maryland.gov/coronavirus.

MDOT MTA management will continue to monitor operations and evaluate if additional service adjustments are needed.

• Local Bus - To minimize operator contact with riders, MDOT MTA will implement rear-door boarding on all bus routes with riders encouraged to pay transit fares with the CharmPass mobile ticketing app, CharmCard® or paper ticket that will be visually validated

  • CityLink, LocalLink, and Express BusLink will have no change in service.
• Light Rail will operate on a Saturday schedule.
• Metro Subway will operate on a Saturday schedule.
• Commuter Bus will run on an "S" schedule only.

• Mobility paratransit service will continue to book and provide trips for medical needs such as dialysis, chemotherapy and appointments at hospitals, clinics and mental health facilities, and will also provide trips to pharmacies and grocery stores.

  • All other trips are canceled until further notice.
  • All in-person eligibility certification assessments and determinations are temporarily suspended and will be replaced with desk reviews and telephone interviews.
• As previously announced, MARC Train service will run on an “R” schedule for all three lines.

As MDOT MTA provides bus service to the Baltimore City Public School System, MDOT MTA recognizes its role in connecting families with access to the free meals available to local students while schools are not in session. In Baltimore City, MTA will maintain service to or near six of the school sites that have been designated as distribution centers for free meals at:

• Alexander Hamilton Elementary, 800 Poplar Grove St., with LocalLinks 29 and 80;
• Arlington Elementary, 3705 W Rogers Ave., with LocalLink 30;
• Beechfield Elementary/Middle, 301 S Beechfield Ave., with CityLink Purple;
• Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle, 801 Bridgeview Road, with LocalLink 26;
• Sinclair Lane Elementary School, 3880 Sinclair Lane, with CityLink Lime and Pink; and
• Paul Laurence Dunbar High, 1400 Orleans St., with CityLink Lime and Pink and LocalLink 56.

To optimize the effectiveness of our efforts, we ask our riders to do their part as well by taking these common-sense measures:

• stay at home as much as possible, minimizing contact with others in public;
• limit non-essential bus and rail travel until further notice;
• avoid contact with anyone who exhibits flu symptoms like coughing, sneezing or difficulty breathing;
• cough or sneeze into the crook of your arm instead of your hand, and if you use a tissue, throw it away immediately; 
• wash your hands as soon as possible after touching any surface that others do; and
• keep your hands away from your mouth, nose and eyes.

For more information and useful tips on protecting yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19, please visit the websites for the Maryland Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

MDOT MTA is one of the largest multi-modal transit systems in the United States. MDOT MTA operates a Local Bus and Commuter Bus network, as well as Light RailLink, Metro SubwayLink, MARC Train service and a comprehensive Mobility paratransit system. MDOT MTA’s goal is to provide safe, efficient and reliable transit across Maryland with world-class customer service. To learn more, visit mdot.maryland.gov or mta.maryland.gov, check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/mtamaryland and follow us on Twitter @mtamaryland.