Governor O’Malley and Lt. Governor Brown Provide Nearly $100 Million to Improve Transit Services Statewide

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Working to help local jurisdictions across the State enhance transit services for residents while continuing efforts to increase transit ridership, Governor Martin O’Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown today announced nearly $100 million in grants for Locally Operated Transit Systems (LOTS).  The funding, approved by the Governor and members of the General Assembly during the recent legislative session, will cover operating and capital costs for the 25 LOTS programs statewide for Fiscal Year 2015.  The passage of the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act helped increase funding by $5 million over FY 2014 figures.  The $94,987,124 in FY 2015 funds is from Maryland’s Transportation Trust Fund, and the LOTS program is managed by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA).

“Residents across our great State rely on their local transit providers to get to jobs, schools, doctors visits and other important appointments,” said Governor O’Malley.  “This funding will help meet the needs of residents while helping the State meet our goal of doubling transit ridership by 2020.  Working together with leadership of the General Assembly, we’re making record investments in building a 21st century transportation network that delivers for more Marylanders.”

“Investing in transit is a critical part of building our infrastructure, increasing transit ridership, growing our economy, creating jobs, and attracting more businesses to Maryland while protecting our environment,” said Lt. Governor Anthony Brown.  “These investments in our counties and partnerships with local leaders allow us to support and strengthen communities throughout our state while creating a more sustainable future for the next generation of Marylanders.”

There are 25 LOTS providers operating throughout Maryland.  The type of services offered by each County’s LOTS depends on the jurisdiction’s size, needs and population.  Some jurisdictions have extensive fixed-route service, while others offer demand-response service that provides door-to-door transportation.  LOTS provides services to approximately 41 million riders each year.  A full list of what each LOTS provider will receive is attached.

“Transit works when it takes people to where they want to go,” said Transportation Secretary James T. Smith, Jr.  “Thanks to the leadership of the O’Malley-Brown Administration, and members of the General Assembly in passing the Transportation Act, the increase in grant funds this year will allow more people to take advantage of improved transit services statewide.”

“We are very grateful to the O’Malley-Brown Administration for providing this needed funding to help us provide crucial transit services to residents in the Mid-Shore area,” said Santo A. Grande, President and CEO of Delmarva Community Services, which operates Delmarva Community Transit.  “Because we are in a rural area, many of our residents do not own a car or cannot drive and depend on reliable transit services for access to medical appointments, employment and other services.”

The MTA is a division of the Maryland Department of Transportation, and one of the largest multi-modal transit systems in the United States. MTA operates Local and Commuter Buses, Light Rail, Metro Subway, Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) Train Service, and a comprehensive Paratransit (Mobility) system.  MTA also manages the Taxi Access system and directs funding and statewide assistance to LOTS in each of Maryland’s 23 counties, Baltimore City, Annapolis and Ocean City. Visit MTA’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mtamaryland or Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/mtamaryland for more sources of updated information.

Click here to view the full list of the FY 2015 LOTS grants.