A proposed five-year plan for public transportation in St. Mary’s County includes the recommendation for a 50-percent increase in St. Mary’s Transit System (STS) fares. The plan says the impact on riders will be minimized because the numbers of transfers are being reduced, thus eliminating the need for many riders to pay an additional 50 cent transfer fee. The new fare would be $1.50 instead of $1.
The plan, which is a state requirement for funding, was developed by the KFH Group, a transportation consulting firm located in Bethesda, MD. Elizabeth Rood from the consulting firm made the presentation of the plan to the St., Mary’s County Commissioners on Tuesday. The work on the plan was begun in 2011 with an advisory committee assisting the consultants. A survey of riders was also conducted.
Rood gave a timeline for implementation of the plan which includes the fare increase in Fiscal Year 2015 (beginning July 1 of 2014). Other parts of the plan, including modifying routes, service to the Golden Beach Park and Ride and bus safety improvements and a new shelter at the airport, would occur quicker and after public hearings.
Rood, who worked on a similar plan for the county in 1998, said the plan represents a change in the community. “It is really a transition from a rural system to a more urban system,” she said.
The plan includes some mid-term recommendations:
· Park and Ride/commuter bus connectivity
· Extended evening hours (Southern Route)
· Sunday Service Expansion
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