Will go at least another month as city officials try to secure funding

By Shantee Woodards
Capital Newspaper Staff Writer
1/8/09

For at least the next month, Dillon's Bus Service Inc. will continue operating a commuter bus route the state is abandoning. During that time city officials will try to boost ridership and get additional funding to keep the route running permanently. The Pasadena company agreed yesterday to continue the 921 bus service between Annapolis and New Carrollton Metro Station. The news came just days before the Maryland Transit Administration was set to cut it. The bus will run under the same schedule while city officials explore alternatives to keep the route running, including a marketing campaign to get more riders, altering the bus schedule and finding additional funding. "We've got people coming in from Washington into the city to work and there's no way to do that, except for driving a car," Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer said. "With our visiting population, we need to do a different job and a better job of operating the capital to capital route."

In the meantime, bus drivers spread the news to their passengers on the evening run yesterday and this morning's ride. Fliers detailing the changes were also posted on the buses. Riders were elated and one woman even screamed, "thank you, Jesus" this morning. Passenger Virginia Elliott, of Bowie, had already made arrangements for her husband to drive her and another passenger to their jobs in Annapolis. She was pleased that she doesn't have to do that now. "I was really ecstatic. I was so happy," Mrs. Elliott said. "It made a lot of people's day, just to know the service will still be available." Under the Dillon's route, no MTA passes or monthly 10-trip tickets will be accepted. The company will offer its own tickets available for sale from the drivers. The fare will remain unchanged. "We've been running Annapolis to DC since the early '80s," said Ron Dillon Sr., president of the company. "Our customers ride this and they've helped this company grow. We're not going to let them down."

Area commuters depend on the 921 bus to get to the New Carrollton Metro, which is an access point for Metro, bus, MARC, Amtrak and Greyhound stops. The other bus routes from the city - the 922 and the 950 - go into Washington and don't return to Annapolis until the afternoon. In October, MTA officials announced plans to save $25 million by making some cuts to commuter and MARC Train lines offered throughout the state. In Annapolis, they opted to cut the 921 bus because it had the lowest ridership in the system. Impacted commuters wrote to the MTA and attended hearings where they suggested other options, such as paying a higher fare or using a smaller bus. The elimination of the service was announced in December. At that time, city officials started to explore what could be done to continue operating this bus service.

If the 921 bus had been eliminated, Gambrills resident Bill Blakefield would have reluctantly returned to MARC Train's Penn Line to get to his Washington job. He used that service for years and found that the train rides were crowded and uncomfortable. "This is such an important link between Annapolis and also Davidsonville, which is where I start from," said Mr. Blakefield, who boards the 921 bus at the Davidsonville Park and Ride. "It's just difficult to picture that they wouldn't have had something like that to replace it, or the wisdom to keep it."

Published January 8, 2009, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. Copyright © 2009 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.