The Maryland Transit Administration has robust transit network serving the Baltimore area and beyond. (MDOT)
Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic is exhausting. Wouldn’t you rather bypass the backups and have someone else drive? It’s possible thanks to the Maryland Transit Administration’s robust transit network. This past summer I staffed an event in Baltimore and attended a meeting in Annapolis all while leaving the car behind and utilizing the bus, subway and carpooling.
Armed with my smartphone and virtual maps, my journey started out on a Friday morning with a 10-minute drive from my home to the Metro SubwayLink Old Court Station in Pikesville. I appreciated the free parking and considered it another perk because if I were to drive, I’d have to pay to park in a garage.
Outside MTA’s Subway Link Old Court Station. (Meredith Devereux/MDOT)
Just after 8:30 a.m. I hopped on board the train towards downtown Baltimore and rode to the end of the line at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Along the short, beautiful walk down North Broadway to Orleans Street, I passed by the hospital’s historic campus and caught a glimpse of Downtown Baltimore. When I reached Orleans Street, I waited to catch a bus to the Johns Hopkins Bayview location.
View of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. (Meredith Devereux/MDOT)
MTA’s QuickLink 40 serves the stop as an east-west connector across the Baltimore region. Governor Wes Moore first announced the route when he restarted the Baltimore Red Line in June 2023. The QuickLink 40 is intended to better connect riders to jobs, housing and shopping as the Red Line continues to take shape.
Information about MTA’s QuickLink 40 bus route and stops. Governor Moore announced the bus line in June 2023 when he relaunched the Baltimore Red Line. (Meredith Devereux/MDOT)
On this Friday morning, the CityLink Blue bus came first at 9:25 a.m. I hopped aboard and was thankful for the bus’s cool air conditioning. The bus dropped me off twenty minutes later, just in time to help colleagues set up for an event.
After the event, I carpooled with a colleague to attend a meeting in Annapolis. You might think, “Hey, that’s cheating to jump in a car,” however the Maryland Department of Transportation recognizes carpooling and vanpooling as tools to help commuters cut costs and save time. The Department’s Commuter Choice program even has a platform to help you find a carpool.
After finishing the workday in Maryland’s capital city, I needed to catch a ride back to Baltimore. When I was planning my transit day, admittedly I was nervous about this stretch. Previously, I have used MTA’s light rail, subway and buses to get to Orioles and Ravens games, but I had never ridden on the agency’s commuter bus. Thankfully the commuter bus system is just as easy to navigate as MTA’s other lines. The agency posts its schedules online and after finding the right bus I needed, the 215 – Baltimore – Annapolis, I found the exact time and place where the bus would pick me up. With a quick walk over to the intersection of Church Circle and School Street, a sign stood showing I was in the right place.
Photo of the MTA a commuter bus stop in Annapolis. (Meredith Devereux/MDOT)
MTA’s 215 Commuter Bus from Annapolis to Baltimore. (Meredith Devereux/MDOT)
The 5:17 p.m. bus arrived on time and picked up a few other passengers at other stops in Anne Arundel County before heading to Baltimore City. As the bus approached the city, we ran into some Friday evening traffic, but I was thankful to have an experienced operator behind the wheel.
I was the last person on the bus when it stopped at Baltimore and Charles streets. This leg of the journey lasted about an hour, but I was grateful the bus dropped me off right next to the Metro SubwayLink entrance where I hopped on a train towards home. After a long day, I returned home at 7 p.m. exhausted but glad someone else was able to drive most of the day.
Thank you, MTA for the multiple safe rides!
Meredith Devereux is a Senior Writer with the Maryland Department of Transportation.
