Route 77 is a bus route operated by the

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� ...

in the suburbs of

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. The line currently runs from the

Old Court Metro Subway Station Old Court station is a Metro SubwayLink station in Lochearn, Maryland. It is the second most northern and western station on the line, with approximately 625 parking spaces. Three buses currently serve this station: * 92 to Scotts Level Road ( ...

Pikesville, Maryland Pikesville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Pikesville is just northwest of the Baltimore city limits. It is the northwestern suburb closest to Baltimore. The population ...

, to the Patapsco Light Rail Stop and serves

Randallstown Randallstown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is named after Christopher and Thomas Randall, two 18th-century tavern-keepers. At that time, Randallstown was a tollgate cr ...

, Windsor Mill, Woodlawn,

Catonsville Catonsville () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland. The population was 44,701 at the 2020 US Census. The community is a streetcar suburb of Baltimore along the city's western border. The town is known for its proximit ...

Arbutus ''Arbutus'' is a genus of 12 accepted speciesAct. Bot. Mex no.99 Pátzcuaro abr. 2012.''Arbutus bicolor''/ref> of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, the Canary Islands a ...

Halethorpe Halethorpe is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The community is considered to be a sub-section of Arbutus by the United States Census Bureau. It is bordered by the main portion of Arbutus to the north, Bal ...

, and Lansdowne as well as the campuses of UMBC and CCBC Catonsville (formerly Catonsville Community College).

History

Route 77 was one of the first cross-county bus lines in

Baltimore County, Maryland Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state. Baltimore County partly surrounds but does not include the independent cit ...

. It started operating in 1974 as an experimental service, originating from the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

of Pikesville, and terminating at UMBC. Prior to its introduction, most of the route of Route 77 was not served by any bus lines. For a brief period in 1966, a shuttle service identified as Route 35 operated between UMBC and Catonsville Community College. Streetcar followed by bus service operated in the Halethorpe area. Route 20 operated between Security Square and

Westview Mall Westview Mall is a shopping mall located in Catonsville, Maryland, United States. The mall originally opened in 1958 as an outdoor strip mall, but was later converted into an indoor shopping center. The original anchors were Hutzler's and Stewar ...

s along a different route, and a branch of Route 44 served Rutherford Business Park (and continued to until 2005). At that time, service was provided on weekdays only, with rush hour service operating only once every 40 minutes and midday service provided every 50 minutes. The line, which was designed to provide service for the students of UMBC and Catonsville Community College and had its schedule coordinated to the classes of these two institutions, did not provide service out of Pikesville before 6:30 AM or UMBC before 7:30 AM. Within the decades that followed, the line performed above expectations, drawing riders from far beyond the college crowd and proving that a cross-county (suburb-to-suburb) bus route could succeed in the Baltimore area. In 1987, in conjunction with the opening of the

and the extension of Route M-2 to this location, the station also became the new northern terminus for Route 77. Some trips operated along the old route to Pikesville during a period of time when Old Court Station was closed at night. This portion was discontinued in 2005. In 1995, selected trips were extended south of UMBC to the Patapsco Light Rail Stop through the Halethorpe area, improving connections. The frequency was also slightly improved. In 1997, Saturday service was added. At first, it operated only between Old Court and

Security Square Mall Security Square Mall is a mall in Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore, in the United States. The mall features over 100 stores and restaurants, as well as a food court. One anchor store of the mall, the former JCPenney, p ...

, but it was later extended to UMBC. Sunday service was added in 2001. In 2005, as part of the

Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative The Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative (GBBI) (pronounced ''GIBBY'') was a sweeping overhaul planned by the Maryland Transit Administration under the administration of then-Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich and his transportation secretary Robert Fla ...

, all trips were extended to the Patapsco Light Rail Stop, and the route was slightly changed to replace a portion of Route 31, which was merged into other routes.Hartford Courant
Midday and Saturday service was increased to one bus every 30 minutes.

References

{{MTA Maryland Maryland Transit Administration bus routes 1974 establishments in Maryland

History

See also

References