Ride On (bus)

Ride On

A Gillig diesel-electric hybrid bus at Glenmont station, in the most recent paint scheme
Parent	Montgomery County
Headquarters	101 Monroe Street, 5th Floor, Rockville, Maryland, USA
Service type	bus service, paratransit
Routes	80
Fleet	540
Fuel type	CNG, Diesel, Diesel-electric hybrid
Website	Montgomery County Transit

Ride On is the primary public transportation system in Montgomery County, Maryland. Ride On serves Montgomery County as well as the community of Langley Park in Prince George's County. Ride On also serves the Takoma Metro station, and Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Ride On operates 80 routes, including operating three Metrobus routes on weekends.

In 2009, Ride On introduced a new logo and blue-yellow-green paint scheme with the delivery of new Gillig Low Floor clean diesel and hybrid buses.

In the autumn of 2011, Ride On's 12 new 40-foot Gillig low-floor hybrid buses (5349-5360) and one clean diesel bus (5758) went into service. All 13 of these buses were purchased with funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. 7 additional 40' Gillig Low Floor hybrid buses (5361-5367), which were also purchased with stimulus funds from the ARRA, went into service in mid-2012.

In July 2012, Ride On retired all 62 of its 2007 Champion cutaway buses due to fires and replaced them with 30 1998 30-foot Orion V buses. All 30 of these units were from WMATA.

Fares

Ride On's current fares are $1.80 for riders using cash and $1.60 for riders using SmarTrip. As of January 4, 2009, Ride On no longer issues or accepts paper transfers. Riders must use a SmarTrip card to get the rail-to-bus discount or to transfer free from bus to bus.

Routes

• Route 1: Silver Spring-Friendship Heights. Runs Daily
• Route 2: Silver Spring-Lytonsville. Runs daily. Service was added to Walter Reed in the late 1990s. This route also provides service to Ride On's Silver Spring bus garage
• Route 3: Silver Spring-Takoma. Runs rush hour Monday–Friday with AM service going to Silver Spring and PM Service to Takoma.
• Route 4: Silver Spring-Kensington. Runs Monday–Friday. Was rerouted from Colesville-East West-16th to 2nd Avenue in the late 1990s
• Route 5: Silver Spring-Twinbrook Station. Runs daily. Rerouted from 2nd Ave to Spring and 16th Streets in late 1990s.
• Route 6: Grosvenor-Parkside-Montgomery Mall. Runs Monday–Friday. Service to Wheaton was discontinued in September 2009 and replaced by route 37
• Route 7: Wheaton-Forest Glen. Runs Monday-Friday. Service to Kensington via Plyers Mill Road discontinued in September 2010.
• Route 8: Silver Spring-Wheaton via Forest Glen Rd. Runs Monday–Saturday
• Route 9: Silver Spring-Wheaton via Amherst Ave. Runs daily. Also serves as the midday Wheaton Plaza shuttle, replacing the old route 40 in 1998.
• Route 10: Twinbrook Station-Hillandale. Runs Daily. Replaced the old Metrobus route C6 (Randolph Road) in 1998.
• Route 11: Silver Spring-Friendship Heights. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour. Morning service from Silver Spring, and afternoon service from Friendship Heights.
• Route 12: Silver Spring-Takoma via Carroll Ave. Runs Daily
• Route 13: Silver Spring-Takoma via Sligo Creek Parkway. Runs rush hour Monday–Friday
• Route 14: Silver Spring-Takoma via University Blvd. Runs Monday-Saturday. Some midday trips serve Eastern Middle School students.
• Route 15: Silver Spring-Langley Park via Piney Branch Rd. Runs daily. 2nd highest ridership among Ride On routes at 4,500 per day.
• Route 16: Silver Spring-Takoma via New Hampshire Ave. Runs daily. Service was extended from Langley Park to Takoma Metro via New Hampshire and Ethan-Allen Avenues in 1997 in the aftermath of Takoma Park's secession from Prince Georges to Montgomery County in 1997
• Route 17: Silver Spring-Langley Park via Montgomery College. Runs daily
• Route 18: Silver Spring-Langley Park via Takoma Station. Runs daily.
• Route 19: Silver Spring-Northwood. Runs Monday–Friday with morning service to Silver Spring and afternoon service to Dallas Avenue.
• Route 20: Silver Spring-Hillandale via Piney Branch Rd. Runs daily
• Route 21: Silver Spring-Briggs Chaney Park & Ride. Runs Monday–Friday Rush Hour with AM service to Silver Spring and afternoon service to Briggs Chaney. Service on this route began in 2007.
• Route 22: Silver Spring-Hillandale via White Oak Research Center. Runs Monday–Friday rush hours.
• Route 23: Friendship Heights-Sibley Hospital. Runs Monday–Saturday. Saturday service began on the late 1990s.
• Route 24: Hillandale-Takoma. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour with AM Service to Takoma and PM service to Hillandale. Service was extended from Northwest Park to Hillandale in the late 1990s.
• Route 25: Takoma-Langley Park via Maple Avenue. Runs Monday–Friday with service extended from Maple and Kennebec Avenues to Langley Park in 2009.
• Route 26: Montgomery Mall-Glenmont. Runs daily. Weekend service to National Capitol Trolley Museum discontinued in 2008. Replaced original Metrobus C8 in 1996.
• Route 28: Silver Spring VanGo Shuttle. Runs every seven minutes Monday–Friday from 7:00 am–7:00 pm.
• Route 29: Bethesda-Glen Echo/Friendship Heights. Runs between Friendship Heights and Bethesda Metro Monday-Friday, and Friendship Heights-Glen Echo on weekends. Replaced Metrobus N8 in early 1990s between Glen Echo and Friendship Heights, and original Rideon route 31 between Glen Echo and Bethesda in mid-1990s.
• Route 30: Bethesda-Medical Center. Runs Monday–Friday
• Route 31: Wheaton-Glenmont. Runs rush hour Monday–Friday. Service began in 1998, coinciding with Glenmont Metro's opening.
• Route 32: Bethesda-Naval Ship Center/Cabin John. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour.
• Route 33: Glenmont-Medical Center. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour. Before Glenmont Metro opened, service ran between Wheaton and Medical Center stations. In 2003, service was extended to Bethesda via East Bethesda to replace the old route 27. Service to Bethesda discontinued on September 5, 2010.
• Route 34: Aspen Hill-Friendship Heights. Runs daily. Also served as a midday Downtown Bethesda shuttle until the late 1990s. AM and PM rush service extended from Wheaton to Aspen Hill in the late 1990s to replace the old route 41. Service extended from Bethesda to Friendship Heights via Wisconsin Avenue on May 4, 1998, replacing the old route 42.
• Route 36: Bethesda-Potomac via Hillandale Rd. Runs Monday–Friday. AM and PM rush hour service diverts to Hillandale Road in 2003, replacing a portion of the old route 27.
• Route 37: Wheaton via Grosvenor-Potomac. Runs Monday–Friday. AM and PM rush service extended from Grosvenor to Wheaton via Strathmore Ave and Plyers Mill Road in September 2009, essentially replacing Ride On route 6 between Wheaton and Grosvenor.
• Route 38: Wheaton-White Flint. Runs Daily. This route used to operate between Wheaton and Montgomery Mall until January 13, 2013, when it was truncated from Montgomery Mall to White Flint (see Route 42 below for more information).
• Route 39: Glenmont-Briggs Chaney Park & Ride. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour. Service diverted from Wheaton to Glenmont in 1998 after Glenmont Metro opened.
• Route 41: Aspen Hill-Glenmont. Runs daily. Replaced Metrobus Y6 in 1998.
• Route 42: White Flint-Montgomery Mall. Runs daily. Line was split from route 38 on January 13, 2013.
• Route 43: Shady Grove-Traville Transit Center-Fallsgrove Center. Runs Monday-Saturday.
• Route 44: Twinbrook-Rockville. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour.
• Route 45: Rockville Regional Transit-Twinbrook/Rockville. Runs Monday-Saturday.
• Route 46: Rockville-Hwy. 355 (Montgomery College-Rockville)-Medical Center. Runs daily. This route is extended to Shady Grove on Sundays.
• Route 47: Rockville-Montgomery Mall-Bethesda. Runs daily. This route ran between Rockville and Grosvenor via Montgomery Mall on Monday–Saturday before being rerouted in 2002 to Bethesda to replace the route 35 on Greentree and Fernwood Roads.
• Route 48: Wheaton-Rockville. Runs daily. This route replaced Metrobus Q4 in the early 1990s.
• Route 49: Rockville-Glenmont. Runs daily. This route replaced Metrobus Y4 in 1998.
• Route 51: Glenmont-Norbeck Park & Ride. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour.
• Route 52: Rockville-Medstar Montgomery Medical Center. Runs Monday–Friday Rush hour.
• Route 53: Shady Grove-Glenmont. Runs Monday–Friday Rush hour. Service was extended from Olney to Glenmont metro along Georgia Avenue in 1998, coinciding with the opening of Glenmont Metro.
• Route 54: Rockville-Lakeforest via Lakeforest Mall. Runs Daily.
• Route 55: Rockville-Germantown Transit Center. Runs Daily. This route is the most heavily used route with over 8000 passengers a day. On Sundays, this route operates between Germantown Transit Center and Shady Grove only.
• Route 56: Rockville-Lakeforest via Lost Knife Rd. Runs Daily.
• Route 57: Shady Grove-Lakeforest via Redland Rd. Runs Daily.
• Route 58: Shady Grove-Lakeforest via East Village. Runs Daily.
• Route 59: Rockville-Montgomery Village. Runs Daily.
• Route 60: Shady Grove-Montgomery Village. Runs Monday-Friday rush hour. AM service to Shady Grove and PM service to Montgomery Village.
• Route 61: Shady Grove-Germantown Transit Center. Runs Daily.
• Route 63: Rockville-Shady Grove. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour.
• Route 64: Shady Grove-Montgomery Village via Centerway Rd. Runs daily.
• Route 65: Shady Grove-Montgomery Village via Midcounty Hwy. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour. AM service to Shady Grove and PM service to Montgomery Village.
• Route 66: Shady Grove-Traville Transit Center via Shady Grove Hospital. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour. AM service to Traville Transit Center and PM service to Shady Grove.
• Route 67: Shady Grove-Traville Transit Center via Fredrick Rd. Runs Monday–Friday Rush Hour. AM service to Shady Grove and PM service to Traville Transit Center.
• Route 70: Germantown-Bethesda Express. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour.
• Route 71: Shady Grove-Kingsview Park & Ride via Hopkins Rd. Runs Monday–Friday rush hour.
• Route 74: Shady Grove-Germantown Transit Center. Runs Monday–Friday.
• Route 75: Clarksburg Correctional Facility-Germantown Transit Center
• Route 76: Shady Grove-Poolesville
• Route 78: Shady Grove-Kingsview Park & Ride via Great Seneca Hwy.
• Route 79: Shady Grove-Germantown
• Route 81: Rockville-White Flint
• Route 83: Germantown Transit Center-Milestone Park & Ride
• Route 90: Shady Grove-Damascus
• Route 93: US-HHS-Twinbrook Station
• Route 94: Kingsview Park-Germantown Marc Station
• Route 96: Grosvenor-Rock Spring-Montgomery Mall
• Route 97: Germantown Transit Center-Gunners Lake
• Route 98: Germantown Transit Center-Seabreeze Court
• Route 100: Shady Grove-Germantown Transit Center Express

Fleet

Ride On operates a fleet consisting mainly of Diesel, CNG, and Diesel-electric hybrid buses produced by Orion Bus Industries, Gillig Corporation, New Flyer Industries and Cutaway Vans that were formerly operated by Pittsburgh's CAT Transit.

Year	Manufacturer	Model	Length (ft.)	Picture	Engine/Transmission	Fleet Series (Qty.)
<<< Diesel >>>
1999	Gillig	Phantom	35		DDS 50/Voith D863.3 or Cummins M-11/Allison B400R	5410-5423 (14)
1996	Orion	05.503 (V)			Cummins M-11/Voith D863.3	5550-5566 (17)*some units retired
1998						5572-5579 (8)
1999			40		DDS 50/Voith D863.3	5705-5725 (21)
2001-02		05.504 (V)	35			5580-5623 (44)
2008-11	Gillig	Low Floor	29		Cummins ISL/Allison B400R	5001-5031 (31)
			40			5726-5758 (33)
<<< Diesel-electric Hybrid >>>
2006-12	Gillig	Low Floor	40		Cummins ISB/Allison EP-40 HybriDrive	5300-5313, 5314-5367 (68)
<<< Compressed Natural Gas >>>
1996	Orion	05.503 (V)	35		Cummins L10G/ZF HP590	5997-5999 (3)
2000		05.501 (V)	40		DDS 50/Voith D863.3	5803-5821 (19)
2003-05		07.502 (VII)	35		DDS 50or Cummins Westport C Gas Plus/Voith D864.3 or Cummins Westport C Gas Plus/ZF 5HP592C	5900-5957 (58)
2005	New Flyer	C40LF	40		Cummins Westport C Gas Plus/Allison B400R	5822-5836 (15)

Historic Ride On logo, used until mid-2009.

The bus fleet, owned and operated by Ride On, is distributed among two garages in Silver Spring and Gaithersburg. Gaithersburg garage is located adjacent to the Shady Grove Metro rail yard. The cutaway fleet is located in Kensington.

External links

• Montgomery County Transit – Ride On site
• The Schumin Web Transit Center: Ride On
• Oren's Transit Page: Ride On
• GP Bus Gallery