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Washington County updates 5-year transit development plan and approves transit facility consolidation plat
Summary
County staff presented a five-year Transit Development Plan that recommends route and fare adjustments and technology upgrades; commissioners approved consolidation of transit administration and fleet parcels contingent on city plan review.
Washington County commissioners received an updated five-year Transit Development Plan (TDP) and voted to approve the administrative consolidation plat for the Transit Administration and Fleet Maintenance facility, subject to City of Hagerstown plan-review approval.
Andrew Ashland, director of public works, and Sean Hartwell, director of transit, summarized the TDP completed with consulting assistance. The plan, required every five years, evaluated existing routes, rider needs and demographics to recommend service and operational adjustments. Key findings staff highlighted included rider-dependency indicators: a large share of surveyed riders reported low household incomes (staff reported roughly half of riders with annual incomes below $20,000) and a majority lacked a driver's license (reported as 62 percent). Staff said only a small share of current riders would be able to drive themselves if transit were not available.
Recommended near-term items include potential fare-structure adjustments (fares have not changed in over 30 years), a mobile-ticketing rollout, improved fixed stops and service modifications to improve convenience and reliability. Staff emphasized many improvements could be achieved through cost-neutral service changes, while larger expansions would require new funding. The county's Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) participated in the study and staff noted coordination with regional partners will continue.
On a separate but related item, commissioners approved recordation of a consolidation plat for the transit administration and fleet maintenance property at 1000 West Washington Street, contingent on the City of Hagerstown's administrative plan-review approval and completion of an alley quit-claim. County staff said consolidating parcel lines gives the county more options for future facility renovations or expansions.
Commissioners praised transit staff for the plan and for coordination with the MPO; staff said the TDP will guide service and capital work over the next five years and that final documents will be posted after completion of the draft-to-final process.
