Howard Transit was the primary public transit system in
Howard County,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, which grew from the former ''ColumBus'' bus system in
Columbia, Maryland.
First Transit
First Transit was an American transportation company. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, it operated over 300 locations, carrying more than 350 million passengers annually throughout the United States in 41 states, Puerto Rico, Panama, India an ...
replaced
Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport (formerly Connex and CGEA Transport) was the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia until the 2011 merger that gave rise to Veolia Transdev, later renamed Transdev. Veolia Tr ...
as the operating company in July 2007.
Howard Transit was replaced by the
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 ...
in 2014.
History
In 1975, the Howard County Council announced plans to create a subsidized bus system for Columbia. Councilmembers
Ruth Keeton and Virginia Thomas introduced legislation for Howard County to manage public transportation with a nine-member board.
Routes
Howard Transit operated eight routes designated by colors to various parts of
Howard County and surrounding areas:
Notes:
*Transfers:
**Blue Line =
Baltimore Light Rail
The Baltimore Light RailLink (formerly Baltimore Light Rail, also known simply as the "Light Rail") is a light rail system serving Baltimore, Maryland, United States, and its northern and southern suburbs. It is operated by the Maryland Transi ...
(operated by MTA Maryland)
**CRT =
Connect-a-Ride
Central Maryland Regional Transit was a bus system serving the greater Laurel, Maryland area and parts of the neighboring Anne Arundel, Prince George's, and Howard counties. Former service into Montgomery County ended in January 2010 due to a ...
**HT = Howard Transit
**MARC =
Maryland Area Regional Commuter (operated by MTA Maryland)
**Metrobus =
Metrobus Metrobus may refer to:
Transport services Bus Rapid Transit
*MetroBus (Bristol), a bus rapid transit system in Bristol, England, United Kingdom
*Metrobus (Buenos Aires), a bus rapid transit system in Buenos Aires, Argentina
*Metrobus (Istanbul), a ...
(operated by
WMATA
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transit agency that operates transit services in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA provides rapid transit servic ...
)
**MTA =
Maryland Transit Administration
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT). The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Washington†...
or MTA Maryland
*All routes except ''Purple Route'' have connection to the
Mall in Columbia. The ''Purple Route'' meets the ''Gold and ''Silver Routes'' at the Maryland Food Center. The ''Red, Silver, and Brown Routes'' all meet at Snowden Square shopping center in east Columbia.
Defunct routes
*Blue Route -- traveled from
Clarksville to the
Mall in Columbia. Service eliminated as of July 9, 2010.
References
External links
Howard Transit websiteVideo of Howard Transit Bus activity
Bus transportation in Maryland
Howard County, Maryland
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