The Carroll Transit System is the primary provider of mass transportation in the county, taking hundreds of people to their destinations each week. But for a bus system that operates during the day, Monday through Friday countywide, explaining how the transportation organization works can be difficult.
“Our biggest challenge for the community as a whole is to have the right information, and find a better way to explain how to use the service,” said Crystal Winebrenner, executive director of Carroll County’s Ride With Us transit system.
The county contracts with the nonprofit company Ride With Us to operate the service.
The cost to run the transit system in fiscal 2022 was $2,275,461, Stacey Nash, the county’s transportation grants manager stated in an email.
The total amount of money received in bus fares from customers was $228,386 in fiscal 2022.
“During a normal year we receive approximately $545,946 in federal grant funds, and $336,442 in state grant funds, with the rest being covered by county dollars,” Nash said.
The Carroll Transit System provides a few different services and schedules for county residents to pick from.
The TrailBlazer includes fixed routes that operate on a set schedule to connect Westminster, Taneytown and North Carroll. There are nine blue vehicles that operate on a regular schedule with specific stops, and no reservation is needed. The fare is $2 one way and must be paid when boarding the bus.
The TrailBlazer fixed routes make more than 100 trips each day, Winebrenner said. Westminster is the black and purple route, Taneytown is the green route, and the North Carroll route is orange.
The Westminster black route operates about every 30 minutes, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The key destinations include Weis Markets, SHOPPERS, Food Lion, Walmart, Target and the Westminster Senior Center.
The Westminster purple route operates about every 30 minutes, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. It serves many of the medical buildings in the area, including the Westminster Senior Center, Carroll Hospital, Carroll Community College, PIVOT Physical Therapy and Advanced Radiology.
The Taneytown green route operates every 60 minutes, from 7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The key destinations are the Taneytown Senior Center, the Safeway, Kennie’s Market and the Food Lion.
The North Carroll orange route operates every 30 minutes, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The key destinations are the North Carroll Senior Center, Walmart, Greenmount Weis and Roberts Field Weis.
The Board of Carroll County Commissioners voted on Dec. 1 to discontinue the TrailBlazer South Carroll route effective Dec. 31, because of low ridership and the high cost to the county. Passengers paid $2 one way to ride a bus, but the cost to the county to run the buses was $65 per trip. In comparison, the cost to the county for the Westminster route is $15 per trip.
Ridership before COVID-19 was about 650 trips per day. Currently, that number has dropped to 400.
But the Demand Response Service is still available in the South Carroll area of the county. Demand Response Service is provided from Westminster to Manchester, Hampstead, Union Bridge, Windsor, Taneytown, Mount Airy, Finksburg, Sykesville, Eldersburg, and Silver Run.
Reservations are required for the Demand Response Service. It runs three times per day, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The cost to ride the bus is based on mileage. Schedule a ride at least 24 hours in advance. Same day service is based on availability. To schedule a ride, call 410-386-5550 or email, scheduling@carrolltransitsystem.com.
For more information on the county’s Transit system, go to https://www.carrollcountymd.gov/government/directory/public-works/carroll-transit-system.
