Annapolis transportation committee reviews draft Transit Development Plan, including GoTime expansion and new ‘blue’ route

Annapolis transportation staff and outside planners on Wednesday presented a draft five‑year Transit Development Plan (TDP) that would expand the city’s GoTime microtransit zones, realign existing fixed routes, and add a proposed new “blue” route — with year‑one changes described as cost‑neutral and later expansions tied to future funding.

The presentation was led by Marcus Moore, director of Transportation & Parking for the City of Annapolis, and consultants Dan Dalton and Kwaku Duo of planning firm KFH. Dalton said the TDP is required by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Transit Administration and that “if it’s not in a TDP, then it definitely won’t be funded in the future.” The plan is the first TDP for Annapolis since 2019 and threads community feedback, driver input and a needs assessment into a prioritized set of operational and capital options.

Committee members were asked to consider three core strands of the draft: modest, cost‑neutral realignments to the existing red, brown and green routes in year one; expansion of the GoTime on‑demand microtransit service from a single zone to three zones; and a proposed new blue fixed route that would serve Annapolis High School and nearby destinations and extend slightly beyond city limits. The draft also includes procurement items such as an automatic vehicle locator (AVL) system and a projected capital/operating cost table that the consultants called “conceptual.”

Why it matters: the TDP links local service design to federal and state grant applications. Dalton told the committee that the MTA looks for projects in a jurisdiction’s TDP when reviewing annual funding requests. Committee members said they want more detailed demographic and density data, and clearer language about how proposed changes would affect seniors and other transit‑dependent residents, before the plan moves forward to additional council review.

Most important details

• GoTime microtransit: The draft would expand GoTime from one zone to three zones focused on mobility hubs. Kwaku Duo explained that the zones are designed to operate largely within themselves and to feed the fixed‑route network: “Micro transit zones are not supposed to take 1 person from, say, zone a cross zone b all the way to zone c. That is the function of, a fixed route, service.” The consultants said software can reconfigure zone boundaries as needed. The draft treats GoTime as a way to fill service gaps (evenings/weekends) without immediately extending fixed‑route hours.

• Fixed‑route changes: Year‑one recommendations are framed as realignments using existing service hours (presented as cost‑neutral) for red, brown and green routes, plus an optional blue route that would add operating costs if implemented. The blue route was proposed after advisory committee input to serve Annapolis High and parts of the western city.

• Budget and funding: The plan contains projected operating and capital budgets across five years. Consultants cautioned the committee that later‑year increases include regional services that may be implemented in coordination with Anne Arundel County and MDOT MTA and therefore might not be funded wholly by the city. The draft is conceptual; projects would be refined and costed in annual grant applications.

• Outreach and data: The TDP incorporated a public advisory committee, rider and general community surveys, stakeholder interviews and a public comment period. Consultants reported survey findings including that a majority of community respondents (reported in the draft as 86) said there is a need for expanded or improved transit services; rider surveys showed a majority of riders report modest incomes and limited vehicle access. Staff also highlighted outreach events where residents signed up for ADA paratransit and other services.

Questions and follow‑up requested by the committee

Committee members pressed for operational details on cross‑zone travel, zone boundaries, and how microtransit would avoid cannibalizing fixed‑route ridership. Staff said zones are intended to serve local trips and to connect to fixed routes for cross‑zone travel; buffer rules were discussed to allow short trips near zone borders. Alderman Savage and other members asked for more detailed population density analysis at smaller geographies than the map in the draft (the draft map primarily used a 2,000 people per square‑mile shading) and asked staff to produce an expanded table showing density at finer levels (census tract or similar).

Members also requested clearer discussion in the plan about serving seniors and people who cannot reach fixed‑route stops. Staff and consultants said the expanded GoTime zones are expected to improve coverage for seniors and other transit‑dependent populations and that the TDP text will be updated to highlight that linkage.

Procurement and fleet notes

Staff reported recent deliveries and procurement steps: the city took delivery of six smaller cutaway buses (eight‑passenger cutaway models) intended for microtransit and ADA paratransit service; five drivers participated in a statewide “bus rodeo”; and a draft AVL procurement — with DBE analysis — has been submitted to MDOT MTA and the city procurement office.

Process and next steps

The consultants said the draft will be refined after committee feedback. Staff committed to provide requested density tables and supplemental analysis and to email answers to outstanding questions by the end of the week. The TDP had previously been introduced at first reader on the 14th and was expected to proceed through other council committees; consultants noted the second reader was anticipated in late May. The plan will be used as the basis for project‑level grant applications, which will include more detailed ridership and cost estimates.

Quotes from the meeting

“White label is essentially an app that’s been customized to look like or to be, for our GoTime service,” said Marcus Moore, director of Transportation & Parking, describing an updated transit app in the Apple and Google stores.

“If it’s not in a TDP, then it definitely won’t be funded in the future,” said Dan Dalton, senior transportation planner with KFH, explaining the TDP’s role in state and federal funding reviews.

“Micro transit zones are not supposed to take 1 person from, say, zone a cross zone b all the way to zone c. That is the function of, a fixed route, service,” said Kwaku Duo, project manager with KFH, on zone design and cross‑zone travel.

Ending

Committee members said they would review the supplemental density and senior‑service information before voting on any final adoption. Staff and consultants will update the draft to reflect committee input and provide the requested tables and clarifications; formal adoption and funding decisions will be considered later in the council process and through annual grant applications.