Annapolis posts draft transit plan, takes delivery of electric buses; parking concession model under city review

Marcus Moore, Annapolis director of Transportation, told the city’s Transportation Committee that the final draft of the five‑year Transit Development Plan (TDP) is posted on the city website for a 30‑day comment period and that staff plan to present the plan to the full council in April.

Moore said the department has taken delivery of two fully electric buses ordered in late 2022; the vehicles will be rotated into the fixed‑route fleet and a public unveiling was planned for late March. “These buses are substantially more costly than a regular diesel bus,” Moore said, and the purchases were funded through grants from the Maryland Transit Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, a county grant and a local share.

On ridership, Moore reported that the system carried about 330,000 passengers last year, short of pre‑pandemic levels that were just under 400,000. He said the city’s microtransit pilot — recommended in the 2019 TDP and funded last year — has shown steady growth, running about 8 percent ahead of comparable fixed routes on average and as much as 15 percent higher in a recent month.

Committee members asked about operational details for the new buses and about the department’s data. Moore said staff can provide comparative ridership data by route and that the department will schedule an ATC/ATB joint session to review the TDP and associated tech memos prior to a full‑council presentation.

Moore also updated the committee on ongoing work with the city’s parking concession and gateless garage operations, including a review of the concessionaire’s financial model and a dispute over the $50 code‑based fine for unpaid parking. He said the city’s negotiation table includes the concessionaire, the manager, Premium (the vendor), and Medco (another parking operator), and that the city expects a status update by the end of the month. “They’ll have a better idea of the scope of work for Premium,” Moore said.

Committee members said they are concerned about timely access to the concessionaire’s financial model; Moore said that model is tightly held and that the Office of Law is reviewing whether and how portions may be shared. “We’ll see what information is public information,” he said, and the city said it will report back to the committee with additional timelines and findings.

What’s next The TDP final draft remains posted for public comment for 30 days. Moore said the department hopes to convene a joint session of the Transportation Committee and the Annapolis Transportation Board and to bring the TDP to the full council in April. The electric buses will be rotated into service after the public unveiling; two more electric buses are expected later this year.