# Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland

The Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland, locally referred to as the RTA, is a transit organization providing fixed-route and paratransit services across Central Maryland. The RTA is made up of multiple jurisdictions including Anne Arundel County, Howard County, the City of Laurel, Northern Prince George's County, and Baltimore County.

## History

In 2014, Howard County initiated the Regional Transit Agency of Central Maryland, recruiting Anne Arundel County to join areas served by Central Maryland Regional Transit claiming the centralized authority initiated, managed and funded through Howard County would save money in contract expenses. CMRT bid on providing services to these regions after July 1, but lost to First Transit.
In 2014, Howard County broke ground on a $7.2 million bus depot at Savage, Maryland designed to house 120 buses.
In 2023, RTA added route 505, the first route to serve Baltimore County.
In October 2023, RTA released the final draft of the Central Maryland Transit Development Plan (TDP), proposing future changes and improvements to RTA bus service between fiscal years 2024 and 2028.

## System

As of November 2023, RTA operates 16 bus routes in Howard County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County, the city of Laurel, and Baltimore County.
300-series routes (Prince George's County) :
| Route | Route Name | Termini | Areas Served | Transfers | Headway |
| 301 | South Laurel | Town Centre Laurel South Laurel Drive | Laurel | RTA 302, 409, 502, 503 Metrobus 87, 89, 89M | 60 min |
| 302 | Greenbelt Metro Station | Town Centre Laurel Greenbelt Metro Station | Laurel Beltsville Greenbelt | Metro Green Line MARC Camden Line RTA 301, 409, 502, 503 Metrobus 87, 89, 89M | 60 min |
400-series routes (Howard County) :
| Route | Route Name | Termini | Areas Served | Transfers | Headway | Notes |
| 401 | Harper's Choice / Clary's Forest | Mall in Columbia Clary's Forest | Harper's Choice Village Center Wilde Lake Village Center Howard County General Hospital Howard Community College | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 30 min (weekdays peak) 60 min (off peak) | This route has the shortest headway out of the entire RTA system. |
| 402 | Columbia Crossing / Dobbin Center | Mall in Columbia Dobbin Center | Long Reach | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | |
| 403 | Executive Park Drive | Mall in Columbia Columbia 100 Parkway | Dorsey's Search | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 404, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | |
| 404 | Hickory Ridge | Mall in Columbia Hickory Ridge Village Center | King's Contrivance Hickory Ridge Howard County General Hospital Howard Community College | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 403, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | |
| 405 | Ellicott City | Ellicott City Walmart Pine Orchard Lane | Long Gate Ellicott City | RTA 505 | 60 min | Restructured in 2023. Used to depart from Mall in Columbia, now departs from Ellicott City Walmart. |
| 406 | Columbia Gateway | Mall in Columbia Columbia Gateway | Long Reach Owen Brown | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | As of October 2022. this route has the lowest ridership out of the entire system. As of 7 July 2024, this route no longer operates. |
| 407 | Owen Brown / Kings Contrivance | Mall in Columbia King's Contrivance Village Center | Owen Brown Oakland Mills King's Contrivance | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 406, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | |
| 408 | Lark Brown / Waterloo | Mall in Columbia Waterloo Park | Long Reach Owen Brown East Columbia/Columbia Gateway Office Park Waterloo | MTA Maryland 203, 310, 320 RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | |
| 409 | Elkridge Corners | Town Centre Laurel Elkridge | Elkridge Jessup Savage Laurel | MARC Camden Line MTA Maryland 320 Metrobus 87, 89, 89M, Z7 RTA 301, 302, 409, 501, 502, 503 | 60 min | Extension to Lansdowne Station and Halethorpe MARC is proposed Would provide connections: MTA Maryland 32, CityLink YELLOW MARC Penn Line |
| 414 (Not Operating) | Kings Contrivance | Mall in Columbia King's Contrivance Village Center | King's Contrivance Village Center | MTA Maryland 150, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503, 505 | 60 min | Stopped service in 2020. |
500-series regional routes :
| Route | Route Name | Termini | Areas Served | Transfers | Headway | Notes |
| 501 | Columbia / Arundel Mills | Mall in Columbia Arundel Mills | Jessup South Elkridge | MTA Maryland 75, 150, 201, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 409, 502, 503, 505 MARC Camden Line | 60 min | As of October 2022, this route has the highest ridership out of the entire system. Extension to BWI Airport is proposed in the 2023 TDP. Would provide connections: MTA Maryland Light RailLink MARC Penn Line |
| 502 | Laurel / Arundel Mills | Town Centre Laurel Arundel Mills | Laurel Maryland City | Metrobus 87, 89, 89M, Z7 MTA Maryland 17, 75, 201 RTA 301, 302, 409, 501 | 45 min (weekday peak) 60 min (weekday off-peak) 120 min (weekend) | This is the only route to have a 120-minute headway. |
| 503 | Laurel / Columbia | Mall in Columbia Town Centre Laurel | Laurel Savage Owen Brown | Metrobus 87, 89, 89M, Z7 MTA Maryland 17, 201, 203, 310, 320 RTA 301, 302, 401, 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 409, 501, 502, 505 | 60 min | |
| 505 | Columbia / Catonsville | Mall in Columbia Walmart Catonsville | Columbia Ellicott City Catonsville | MTA Maryland 77, 150, CityLink PURPLE, 203, 305, 310, 315, 320, 325 RTA 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503 | 60 min | Added in 2023. First route to connect to an MTA Maryland CityLink bus. Also the first route to serve Baltimore County. The proposed 409 extension will be the second, also connecting to a CityLink bus. |

## Hubs

RTA has a number of transit hubs where numerous bus lines meet. They include:
* Arundel Mills
* Mall in Columbia
* Towne Centre at Laurel

## Fares

Bus fare can be purchased on the bus, at certain library branches, senior centers, online for shipping, and through the Transit app.
| Type | Fare (USD) |
| One-Way Fare *available on the bus or through the Transit app | $2.00 |
| Daily Pass *only sold through the Transit app | $5.00 |
| 10-Ride Ticket Book *available online for shipping or in-person | $15.00 |
| Monthly Pass *available online, in-person, or through the Transit app | $40.00 |
| Children Under 5 years old | Free |
| Seniors over 60 years old or Persons with Disabilities | Free |
| Middle/High School Students (Yearly) *available through the Transit app | Free |
| Howard Community College Students (Yearly) *available through the Transit app | Free |
| Monthly Pass (Student) | $20.00 |

## Fixed-route fleet

| Builder and model name | Model year | Quantity | Vehicles in service | Notes |
| Ford Cutaway | 2014 | 5 | 5 | Truck bus |
| Ford Cutaway | 2017 | 1 | 1 | Truck bus |
| BYD K9S | 2016 | 3 | 3 | All-electric bus |
| El Dorado E-Z Rider 32' | 2017 | 7 | 7 | |
| El Dorado E-Z Rider 32' | 2018 | 6 | 6 | |
| El Dorado E-Z Rider 32' | 2019 | 2 | 2 | |
| El Dorado E-Z Rider 32' | 2022 | 11 | 11 | |
| Gillig Low Floor HEV 35' | 2008 | 2 | 2 | Hybrid bus |
| Gillig Low Floor HEV 35' | 2009 | 1 | 1 | Hybrid bus |
| Gillig Low Floor HEV 35' | 2011 | 3 | 3 | Hybrid bus |
| Gillig Low Floor 29' | 2002 | 3 | 0 | |
| El Dorado HC Series 28' | 2014 | 1 | 0 | Truck bus |