| Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland (RTA) | |
| Founded: | July 1, 2014 |
| Commenced: | July 1, 2014 |
| Locale: | 8510 Corridor Road, Suite 110, Savage, Maryland 20763 |
| Service Area: | Anne Arundel, Howard County, City of Laurel, Northern Prince George's County, and Baltimore County |
| Service Type: | Fixed-route, Paratransit |
| Routes: | 16 |
| Annual Ridership: | 595,497 (2022) |
| Fuel Type: | Diesel, gas, electric |
| Operator: | First Transit |
| Leader Type: | General Manager |
| Leader: | Jason Quan[1] |
| Website: | http://www.transitRTA.com |
Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland, locally referred to as the RTA, is a transit organization providing fixed-route and paratransit services across Central Maryland. The RTA is made up of multiple jurisdictions including Anne Arundel County, Howard County, the City of Laurel, Northern Prince George's County, and Baltimore County.
In 2014, Howard County initiated the Regional Transit Agency of Central Maryland, recruiting Anne Arundel County to join areas served by Central Maryland Regional Transit claiming the centralized authority initiated, managed and funded through Howard County would save money in contract expenses. CMRT bid on providing services to these regions after July 1, but lost to First Transit.[2]
In 2014, Howard County broke ground on a $7.2 million bus depot at Savage, Maryland designed to house 120 buses.[3]
In 2023, RTA added route 505, the first route to serve Baltimore County and connect onto an MDOT MTA CityLink bus, and restructured route 405 to better serve Ellicott City.[4]
, RTA operates 16 bus routes in Howard County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County, the city of Laurel, and Baltimore County.
| Route | Route Name | Termini | Areas Served | Transfers | Headway | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | South Laurel | Town Centre Laurel South Laurel Drive | Laurel | RTA 302, 409, 502, 503 Metrobus 87, 89, 89M | 60 min | |
| 302 | Greenbelt Metro Station | Town Centre Laurel Greenbelt Metro Station | Laurel Beltsville Greenbelt | Metro Green Line MARC Camden Line RTA 301, 409, 502, 503 Metrobus 87, 89, 89M | 60 min |
| 401 | Harper's Choice / Clary's Forest | Mall in Columbia Clary's Forest | Harper's Choice Village Center Wilde Lake Village Center Howard County General Hospital Howard Community College | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 30 min (weekdays peak) 60 min (off peak) | This route has the shortest headway out of the entire RTA system. | |
| 402 | Columbia Crossing / Dobbin Center | Mall in Columbia Dobbin Center | Long Reach | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | ||
| 403 | Executive Park Drive | Mall in Columbia Columbia 100 Parkway | Dorsey's Search | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 404, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | ||
| 404 | Hickory Ridge | Mall in Columbia Hickory Ridge Village Center | King's Contrivance Hickory Ridge Howard County General Hospital Howard Community College | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 403, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | ||
| 405 | Ellicott City | Ellicott City WalmartPine Orchard Lane | Long Gate Ellicott City | RTA 505 | 60 min | Restructured in 2023. Used to departfrom Mall in Columbia, now departsfrom Ellicott City Walmart. | |
| 406 | Columbia Gateway | Mall in Columbia Columbia Gateway | Long Reach Owen Brown | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | As of October 2022. this route has the lowest ridership out of the entire system. As of 7 July 2024, this route no longer operates. | |
| 407 | Owen Brown / Kings Contrivance | Mall in Columbia King's Contrivance Village Center | Owen Brown Oakland Mills King's Contrivance | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 406, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | ||
| 408 | Lark Brown / Waterloo | Mall in Columbia Waterloo Park | Long Reach Owen Brown East Columbia/Columbia Gateway Office Park Waterloo | MTA Maryland 203, 310, 320 RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | ||
| 409 | Elkridge Corners | Town Centre Laurel Elkridge | Elkridge Jessup Savage Laurel | MARC Camden Line MTA Maryland 320 Metrobus 87, 89, 89M, Z7 RTA 301, 302, 409, 501, 502, 503 | 60 min | Extension to Lansdowne Station and Halethorpe MARC is proposedWould provide connections: MTA Maryland 32, CityLink YELLOW MARC Penn Line | |
| 414 (Not Operating) | Kings Contrivance | Mall in Columbia King's Contrivance Village Center | King's Contrivance Village Center | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | Stopped service in 2020. |
| 501 | Columbia / Arundel Mills | Mall in Columbia Arundel Mills | Jessup South Elkridge | MTA Maryland 75, 150, 201, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 409, 502, 503, 505MARC Camden Line | 60 min | As of October 2022, this route has the highest ridershipout of the entire system.Extension to BWI Airport is proposed in the 2023 TDP.Would provide connections: MTA Maryland Light RailLink MARC Penn Line | |
| 502 | Laurel / Arundel Mills | Town Centre Laurel Arundel Mills | Laurel Maryland City | Metrobus 87, 89, 89M, Z7 MTA Maryland 17, 75, 201 RTA 301, 302, 409, 501 | 45 min (weekday peak)60 min (weekday off-peak) 90 min (weekend) | This is the only route to have a 90-minute headway. | |
| 503 | Laurel / Columbia | Mall in Columbia Town Centre Laurel | Laurel Savage Owen Brown | Metrobus 87, 89, 89M, Z7 MTA Maryland 17, 201, 203, 310, 320 RTA 301, 302, 401, 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 409, 501, 502, 505 | 60 min | ||
| 505 | Columbia / Catonsville | Mall in ColumbiaWalmart Catonsville | ColumbiaEllicott City Catonsville | MTA Maryland 77, 150, CityLink PURPLE, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503 | 60 min | Added in 2023. First route to connect to an MTA Maryland CityLink bus. Also the first route to serve Baltimore County. The proposed 409 extension will be the second, also connecting to a CityLink bus. |
RTA has a number of transit hubs where numerous bus lines meet. They include:
Bus fare can be purchased on the bus, at certain library branches, senior centers, online for shipping, and through the Transit app.[5]
| Type | Fare (USD) | |
|---|---|---|
One-Way Fare
| $2.00 | |
| Daily Pass *only sold through the Transit app | $5.00 | |
10-Ride Ticket Book
| $15.00 | |
Monthly Pass
| $40.00 | |
| Children Under 5 years old | Free | |
| Seniors over 60 years old or Persons with Disabilities | Free | |
Middle/High School Students (Yearly)
| Free | |
Howard Community College Students (Yearly)
| Free | |
| Monthly Pass (Student) | $20.00 |
| Ford Cutaway | 2014 | 5 | 5 | Truck bus | |
| Ford Cutaway | 2017 | 1 | 1 | Truck bus | |
| BYD K9S | 2016 | 3 | 3 | All-electric bus | |
| El Dorado E-Z Rider 32' | 2017 | 7 | 7 | ||
| El Dorado E-Z Rider 32' | 2018 | 6 | 6 | ||
| El Dorado E-Z Rider 32' | 2019 | 2 | 2 | ||
| El Dorado E-Z Rider 32' | 2022 | 11 | 11 | ||
| Gillig Low Floor HEV 35' | 2008 | 2 | 2 | Hybrid bus | |
| Gillig Low Floor HEV 35' | 2009 | 1 | 1 | Hybrid bus | |
| Gillig Low Floor HEV 35' | 2011 | 3 | 3 | Hybrid bus | |
| Gillig Low Floor 29' | 2002 | 3 | 0 | ||
| El Dorado HC Series 28' | 2014 | 1 | 0 | Truck bus |
In October 2023, RTA released the final draft of the Central Maryland Transit Development Plan (TDP), proposing future changes and improvements to RTA bus service between Fiscal Years 2024 and 2028.[6]
Two of FY2024's three proposed changes were already carried out in July 2023; namely, the 405 restructure and addition of the 505 route.
The third one proposes extending route 409 to Lansdowne Station Shopping Center. This would make the 409 the second RTA route to provide service into Baltimore County. Notably, this extension would provide a connection onto the MARC's Penn Line at Halethorpe and MTA Maryland's CityLink YELLOW, LocalLink 32, and LocalLink 29 buses to destinations in Baltimore City and County.
Two proposals exist for the 2025 fiscal year: a new route between Columbia and the Johns Hopkins Applied Research Lab, and a pilot to develop microtransit along the US Route 1 corridor.
The first proposal involves extending the 501 to BWI Airport, and the third involves a new express route between Columbia and the airport.
A new route between Columbia and Elkridge is proposed, eliminating the need to transfer from 501 to 409 at Maryland Food Center.
The third proposal proposes extending Montgomery County's FLASH BRT service to Downtown Columbia, creating a fast connection to Washington, DC.
In the fiscal year 2027, proposals exist for creating a new route from Columbia or Laurel to Fort Meade, and extending FY2025's Catonsville to ARL route to Clarksville. This extension would provide transit in an area with currently none.
Proposals for this year include a new route from Laurel to Bowie and a new route from Columbia to Maple Lawn.