Piney Orchard Residents To Hear More On MARC Bus Tonight

Anne Arundel County transportation planners will meet with Piney Orchard residents Tuesday night to offer an update on plans for a shuttle bus from the community to the Odenton MARC Station.

Officials will brief residents during a presentation at the Piney Orchard Community Association’s monthly board meeting.

 “We’re going to talk a little bit about the route and give people an idea of the basic parameters and the times it will be running,” said Jon Mayer, a transportation planner with the county who will speak with residents. 

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the POCA community center, but the bus will be on site for residents to see at 6 p.m.

 The county bought two low-sulfur diesel buses last year using federal stimulus dollars. The service would cost $1 per ride and connect Piney Orchard residents to the MARC station during morning and evening rush hours. Officials have been soliciting feedback from residents over the last month on where they would like to see the bus stop.

Mayer said the county and the bus operator have settled on between 12 and 16 stops in and around Piney Orchard. However, he said nothing has been finalized and the county is still open to hearing suggestions from residents.

 “We’ve established where we believe the bus is going to stop, but it’s going to be a kind of trial and error thing,” he said. “Once the route starts, we’re going to have a better idea of where we’re getting the majority of our riders from.”

Many residents said they would consider riding the bus as an alternative to driving, particularly if it meant avoiding the long walk from the MARC station’s auxiliary parking lot. But many commuters also said the service would not be practical if the bus route was too long or had too many stops.

“I would consider it if the timing worked out,” said Scott DiBiasio, who commutes daily by MARC train into Washington. “Obviously, the price is right, and to have a shuttle that would stop right there at the tracks might be a nice luxury.”