Baltimore County and Maryland Department of Transportation officials debated how state transit funding is allocated to locally operated transit systems and discussed proposals to expand county services during a consolidated transportation program briefing at Towson University.

County leaders said Baltimore County’s locally operated transit funding has been calculated based on Towson’s population rather than the county’s full population of roughly 850,000, leaving the county underfunded compared with smaller neighboring jurisdictions. "Baltimore County continues to ask MDOT to provide a revised and population based lots formula," senior deputy Sameer Sid said.

Acting Secretary Samantha Biddle described MDOT's current formula for LOTS (locally operated transit systems) funding. The formula MDOT used weighs boardings (30 percent), revenue vehicle miles (30 percent), revenue vehicle hours (30 percent) and population/poverty (10 percent), and relies on service-area populations reported to the National Transit Database. She noted Towson Loop service has not yet reported to NTD and that MDOT used the Towson service-area population for current allocations.

The Towson Loop — Baltimore County’s free circulator service — has provided more than 240,000 rides since its launch and county officials said they plan expansion to Owings Mills and other communities. "We're also looking for opportunities to bring this program to other communities across our county," Sid said; MDOT said it would partner on start-up funding decisions but stressed long-term operating cost responsibility must be addressed.

Maryland Transit Administration Administrator Holly Arnold highlighted MTA priorities in the draft CTP, including a $1.4 billion light rail modernization program and near-term investments in Metro subway cars, but she acknowledged the MTA's Be More Bus implementation is not funded in this CTP. "The draft CTP includes investments to preserve and strengthen our system," Arnold said, and the Be More Bus plan remains a planned next step that needs resources for full implementation.

County and state officials also discussed transit access to employment centers. Both sides said they are open to pilot circulator or shuttle services connecting Essex to TradePoint Atlantic to improve transit access to jobs. "We welcome discussions about new ways to connect our residents with the career opportunities on Baltimore County's East Side, possibly through a pilot shuttle between Essex and TradePoint Atlantic," Sid said.