Gas Prices Prompt Bus System Growth

As gas prices approach and surpass $4 a gallon, the buses carrying thousands of Southern Maryland commuters into the District every day are filling up, prompting some local officials to worry that soon there won't be enough seats.

Last week, Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) announced a $3.36 million expansion of the commuter bus system statewide.

The expansion will add six more daily round trips to four popular routes from Southern Maryland into the District. One-way fares for commuter buses range from $3.50 to $5.75.

The move is laudable, officials say, but commuter buses -- and the park-and-ride lots that accompany them -- will probably need to grow more as gas prices climb.

"We can't put buses on fast enough," said Charles County Commissioner Gary V. Hodge (D-St. Charles), who also serves on the state commission studying Southern Maryland's transportation needs. "The realities that commuters are now facing are such that I believe that the state and the federal government are going to have to take a much harder look at mass transit investment."

The four Southern Maryland bus lines slated to be expanded have experienced daily rider increases ranging from 3 to nearly 12 percent over the past year, according to data provided by the Maryland Transit Administration.

From March 2007 to March of this year, the line connecting Charlotte Hall, Waldorf and the District saw ridership jump from 1,459 to 1,628 commuters a day, an 11.6 percent increase. During the same period, the line operating between Prince Frederick and the District saw ridership jump from 1,247 to 1,289 commuters a day, an increase of 3.3 percent.

Under the new expansion, the Charlotte Hall line would have two more round trips, and the Prince Frederick line would have one more.

"And desperately needed," state Del. Sally Y. Jameson (D-Charles) said of the expansion. "I'm really very happy to see that being done, and no doubt in my mind, before we know it, we'll need to add more."

Southern Maryland has long been home to a successful commuter bus program, officials said. With as many as 60,000 people commuting to the District from Charles County, Hodge said, it only makes sense that many people would use mass transit.

Still, a recent study of workday travelers' transportation habits found that 78 percent of Southern Maryland residents drive alone and only 1 percent use public transportation such as commuter buses, said Wayne E. Clark, executive director of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland. Even that small percentage is causing the seats to fill, he said, and ridership will increase as gas gets more expensive.

"I think that the demand for the service will quickly outpace the current capacity because of the gas prices," he said. "The people who have been riding these things just love them because they're cost-effective, they're time-effective and of course you feel good about not contributing to the traffic congestion and the air pollution."

Officials also said that commuter buses alone cannot handle what they see as an inevitable decrease in lone drivers and increase in those seeking alternatives. Hodge said light rail service might help. Others said carpooling is a good idea.

"With the story of gasoline prices being what it is, people are really going to have to figure out how they're going to cut their expenses," Jameson said. "I really think there are people who are just going to have to park their cars."