MEMORANDUM
To: Montgomery College Community
From: G. Dewey Yeatts, Vice President of Facilities and Security
Subject: Inter-campus Pilot Shuttle Service Program
I am pleased to announce a new service to our College community. During discussions with the Student Council earlier this year, it became clear that travel between the Rockville and Takoma Park/Silver Spring campuses via public transportation (Ride On buses or Metro rail service) creates a hardship for many students. Utilizing public transportation can take approximately 90 minutes each way due to the many stops. The need for timely, dependable, weekday inter-campus transportation options for our commuting students and employees is evident.
To address these concerns, the College will initiate a “pilot” inter-campus shuttle service between the Rockville and Takoma Park/Silver Spring campuses during the fall 2014 semester. The service is expected to reduce the commute time to approximately 40 minutes each way.
Beginning on August 25, the first day of classes, two shuttle buses, one originating from the Rockville Campus and one from the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, will operate from 9:00 a.m. to noon and from 1:30 to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
Based on historical ridership data, only one bus will operate on Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to noon and from 1:30 to 6:00 p.m. If new ridership data indicates a need for two buses on Fridays, a second bus may be added.
This nonstop shuttle service will be provided free of charge to students and employees upon display of a current Montgomery College ID card.
The buses will be operated by Reston Limo, a company chosen to serve Montgomery College based on its successful experience on other colleges. Each bus will have two pick-up/drop-off stations on the campuses as indicated on the shuttle service schedule. The buses are compliant with American with Disabilities Act requirements and are wheelchair accessible. Each bus has seating capacity for of 22 to 24 riders.
We are optimistic that the program will be successful and financially sustainable, allowing for continuation of the service and potential expansion to include the Germantown Campus in the near future. Discussions with the Student Council indicated that public transportation between the Germantown and Rockville campuses is currently satisfactory due to the limited number of scheduled bus stops in each direction of that commute, but we will evaluate what level of service is needed for a Germantown-Rockville shuttle for the spring 2015 semester.
Should you have questions about the pilot shuttle service program, please do not hesitate to contact Mark Pace, transportation and parking manager, at 240- 567-4213 or mark.pace@montgomerycollege.edu.
Thank you.
