ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today announced the county’s local transit service provider, the Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland (RTA), has reached a milestone one million passenger trips within a single fiscal year. This is the first time in RTA’s 10-year history that it has achieved this record level of ridership. Photos can be found on the county's Flickr page.
As your Howard County Executive, we are thrilled that our investments in public transportation during the last six and a half years have expanded access. From launching new routes to rolling out digital ticketing and routing software, we have worked collaboratively with RTA to enhance the rider experience and grow our neighborhood connections. Our investments are paying off, as RTA ridership has dramatically rebounded since the COVID-19 pandemic and exceeded pre-pandemic levels. As we celebrate this remarkable milestone of one million trips on RTA in just the last year, we are committed to continue enhancing and strengthening our public transportation services in the years ahead.
To mark this milestone achievement, Howard County’s Office of Transportation, RTA, and regional partners partnered together to launch a “Ride to 1 Million” campaign. This campaign aimed to thank RTA customers by offering eight fare-free days and five pop-up events over a four-month period:
- February 5th – National Transit Equity Day (Rosa Parks’ Birthday)
- February 14th – Valentine’s Day; included a pop-up event at The Mall in Columbia
- March 17th – St. Patrick’s Day; included a pop-event at The Mall in Columbia
- March 18th – National Transit Employee Appreciation Day
- April 22nd – Earth Day; included a pop-event at The Mall in Columbia
- April 25th – Get on Board Day
- May 16th – Bike to Work Day; included a pop-event at The Mall in Columbia
- June 18th – 1 Millionth Trip Day; included a pop-event at The Mall in Columbia
“Serving our residents and getting them where they need to go is key to both growing and maintaining our ridership,” said Clarence Dickerson III, Administrator, Office of Transportation. “Reaching one million trips in one fiscal year is something we are proud to have accomplished and sharing that excitement with our riders is the best way to celebrate this achievement.”
RTA was launched in 2014 as a consortium of regional partners to streamline locally operated transit services in Central Maryland, initially serving Howard County, northern Anne Arundel, and Prince George’s Counties and the City of Laurel. In 2023, RTA service was extended into Baltimore County via Route 505 service to Catonsville.
“RTA remains committed to improving the mobility of everyone in our community and reaching one million trips in a single fiscal year is a huge milestone, said Jason Quan, General Manager of RTA. “I am thankful for to all our riders, operators, and staff in helping us get there.”
“On behalf of the Commission, I’d like to thank staff, operators, and above all, the riders who have made reaching this milestone possible,” said Ron Skotz, Chair of the Central Maryland Transportation and Mobility Commission, the board tasked with overseeing RTA. “In addition, thank you to the elected officials for supporting the RTA through both positive and challenging times".
This historic milestone builds upon Ball’s other recent efforts to expand public transportation opportunities in Howard County. In March, Ball launched the County’s HoCo Rapid Ride microtransit program along the Route One corridor, serving Elkridge, Laurel, and Jessup. In early May, Ball joined Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich to formalize a partnership to bring Flash Bus Rapid Transit to Howard County in 2026. Also in May, Ball joined the RTA to launch the new Old Ellicott City Trolley service, a new bus route serving Main Street Ellicott City. Together, through these efforts and continued investment in the RTA’s fixed route and paratransit services, Howard County is more connected than ever before.
For more information about RTA and the Ride to 1 Million Campaign, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/transportation/public-transportation/Rideto1Million.