County staff brief committee on FLASH BRT rollout, Ride On Reimagined and fare‑free ridership

Department of Transportation officials updated the Transportation and Environment Committee on Monday about the county’s Bus Rapid Transit (FLASH) program, the Ride On Reimagined service changes and the county’s zero‑fare buses.

Joanna Conklin, who led the BRT briefing, described FLASH as an eight‑route network of upgraded, high‑frequency bus lines with dedicated lanes, level boarding, real‑time station information and enhanced pedestrian and bicycle connections. Conklin said 12% of households within a half‑mile of a FLASH station own no vehicle, 16% are low income and 67% are people of color, framing BRT as an equity investment.

Jamie Henson, the county’s BRT implementation manager, reviewed the status of five corridor projects. He said the Veers Mill Road line (7.6 miles, 12 stations) serves about 10,000 daily riders, has completed design and NEPA, and has a federal funding application pending; staff have begun utility relocations and property acquisition. Henson reported outreach to property owners and estimated about 137 properties touched by the project with roughly 75% requiring permanent easements; acquisition and utility relocation work will continue through 2026.

Henson said the Maryland 355 Central corridor is in the New Starts pipeline and carries an estimated CIP cost of roughly $450 million, with the county pursuing about 50% federal funds. For US‑29 Phase 2, staff reported 35% design completion for a five‑mile segment of median bus lanes and projected a travel‑time reduction of approximately 40% in the southbound AM peak compared with no‑build. Henson estimated a baseline cost for a later phase of US‑29 at about $160 million but cautioned that inflation and construction year would change that figure.

Committee members questioned funding and phasing. Chair Glass and several members expressed concern about constrained CIP resources—particularly given school system demands—and emphasized that project selection and phasing must balance completion likelihood with system coherence. Staff said Veers Mill is near the top of the county’s pipeline for federal capital investment grants and that the county will discuss financing for MD‑355 at an upcoming joint T&E and GO committee hearing.

The panel then shifted to Ride On Reimagined. Phil McLaughlin, Ride On general manager, said the system currently operates about 83 fixed routes, two flex zones (adding a third in January), roughly 310 peak vehicles and serves about 61,000 riders per weekday. He reported FY25 ridership increased about 4% year‑over‑year and that the first three months of the current fiscal year are up approximately 5.4%; early staff estimates attribute roughly 1–2% of that growth to the zero‑fare policy but cautioned more data are needed.

McLaughlin described recent service swaps with WMATA, the new Route 40 (carrying 4,000–5,000 riders daily), planned adjustments to feeder routes when BRT opens, growth in flex‑zone demand, and an ongoing transition plan toward battery electric buses (the fleet includes about 50 battery electric buses today with additional vehicles arriving over the next year).

Several council members pressed staff for clearer cost projections, property‑impact mitigations and clearer public‑engagement milestones. Henson described an acquisition incentive program and emphasized staff preference for negotiated agreements over eminent domain. Staff said planning‑board review and public hearings are next steps for planning corridors such as New Hampshire Avenue and North Bethesda.

The committee thanked staff for the update and said additional briefings and budget‑level conversations will continue as projects advance.