BALTIMORE (AP) — Ridership for Maryland Transit Administration bus and rail lines has yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels.
That’s according to a report Friday from The Daily Record, which found that the decline in ridership can be seen across all the agency’s services.
For instance, in February 2020, bus ridership was just above 5 million. In February 2022, bus ridership did not hit 3 million. Metro Subway ridership was 612,000 in February 2020, compared with 122,000 in February 2022.
The agency has, however, seen increased ridership since the beginning of the year.
Pierre Filion, professor emeritus at Waterloo University’s School of Planning and a mass transit expert, told the newspaper transit systems face a challenge because of the trend of businesses to allow employees to work remotely.
The agency is also facing a shortage of operators, like other transit systems around the country.
The MTA temporarily changed light rail schedules due to the shortage and has increased efforts to fill vacant positions, spokeswoman Veronica Battisti told the newspaper.
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