St. Mary’s County approves two paratransit vans, adopts ADA and conduct policies as transit ridership rises
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Summary
Commissioners approved reallocating $195,995 to buy two wheelchair-accessible paratransit vans, adopted updated ADA eligibility/appeals and code-of-conduct policies, and accepted a $4.622 million FY26 STS operating grant after officials reported a 33% fixed-route and 68% paratransit ridership increase following a July 2025 fare-free policy.
The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County voted to reallocate $195,995 in FY26 SSTAP funds to buy two wheelchair-accessible paratransit vans and authorized the county to sign related documents, part of a package of actions to respond to rapid ridership growth in the Saint Mary’s Transit System (STS).
John Norris, director of public works and transportation, told the board the county has seen about a 33% increase in fixed-route trips and a 68% increase in ADA/paratransit trips since the county implemented fare-free service July 1, 2025. "The fare barrier significantly increases the public transit utilization," Norris said, noting the growth produced additional federal and state grant capacity for the system.
Why it matters: The vans are intended to improve supervisors’ ability to service paratransit and ADA trips and to avoid using full-size buses for demand-responsive work on routes and driveways that require smaller, more maneuverable vehicles. Staff said each van has a wheelchair lift and two securements; typical configurations provide bench seating that folds to allow wheelchair space plus seats for ambulatory riders.
The board also approved updated STS policies directing a multiyear recertification of riders enrolled in ADA/paratransit services, an appeals process for eligibility decisions and a code of conduct describing behaviors that can lead to temporary exclusion. Norris described a 3–4 year rollout for recertification for roughly 3,200 registered riders, with a notice and a six-month window for medical documentation and a subsequent two-month grace period before ineligibility could be enforced. He said the county will provide due process and an internal appeals path that includes review by the STS manager and a hearing panel with county staff.
Norris and deputy transportation staff also described operational upgrades: a modest in‑house rider-count solution built from repurposed county smartphones (about $500 in hardware costs), a short-term routing app interface with larger icons and trip-notification features, and longer-term plans for route navigation, microtransit and bus-hailing capabilities. On staffing, county officials said they are recruiting CDL drivers for large buses but that the smaller vans can be driven without a CDL; the county reported a $2,000 approximate cost to train a driver for a CDL and a one-year service agreement tied to the training.
On funding, staff told the board that STS received an additional $1,262,220 in FY26 federal/state operating funding. Norris gave the total FY26 operating grant for STS as $4,622,257 and said the local match (about $1,904,303) has already been budgeted; he said $669,116 of local match related to the increased award has been accounted for through reallocation rather than new county funds.
What the board did: A motion to reallocate $195,995 for two paratransit vans and to authorize the commissioner president to sign related documents carried on a voice vote. Commissioners later approved the ADA, appeals and disciplinary policies and authorized the administrator to sign grant-related budget amendments to align county accounts with the FY26 award.
Next steps: Staff will complete vehicle purchase arrangements under state contract where possible, implement the rider recertification notices and continue development of routing and rider interfaces. Officials said federal funding tied to ridership will materialize in subsequent fiscal-year accounting (staff indicated some increases will be reflected in future fiscal-year reporting cycles).
