LocalLink 82, formerly Route 97 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� ...

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 bus route was formerly operated as a shuttle service, known as the Mondawmin Shuttle Bug or Mondawmin Shuttle, as one of two neighborhood shuttle routes operated by the

. It was the second and is so far the final in the series of shuttle bus routes to be introduced by MTA in the 2000s. The route serves

Baltimore City Community College Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) is a public community college in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the only community college in the city and the only state-sponsored community college in the state. It is accredited by the Middle States Commi ...

Coppin State University Coppin State University (Coppin) is a public historically black university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is part of the University System of Maryland and a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History Coppin State Univer ...

, and various nearby streets. The route formerly had the "shuttle" status, operating via a circuitous route, and allowing boarding for a reduced $1.00 fare.

History

LocalLink 82 began service under Route 97 in 2002. 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 ...

, it was initially proposed that the shuttle's frequency would be reduced to one bus an hour, and riders were encouraged to use other regular bus routes that shared common routing. However, after community meetings, it was ultimately decided that the schedule would remain the same. In 2006, MTA proposed that the route would be modified to serve

Reservoir Hill Reservoir Hill is a historic neighborhood in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is located south of Druid Hill Park, north of Bolton Hill, east of Penn-North, and west of Jones Falls. It is bounded by Druid Park Lake Drive, ...

in order to replace a portion of Route 5 that was at the time proposed for modification away from this area. But it was later decided that Route 5 would continue to serve Reservoir Hill. In 2017, as a part of the BaltimoreLink system redesign, the Route 97 shuttle was reconfigured as a standard two-way route and renamed LocalLink 82. As a part of the reconfiguration, the route's special shuttle designation and lower fare were removed.

References

{{MTA Maryland Maryland Transit Administration bus routes 2002 establishments in Maryland