ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today announced the launch of its new transformational microtransit program, HoCo RapidRide, beginning Monday, March 17, 2025. HoCo RapidRide is an innovative technology-enabled public transit service that allows riders within the service zone to book a low-cost ride through its app, HoCo RapidRide (available in the Apple Store or Google Play). To launch the service and encourage ridership, all rides on HoCo RapidRide will be free for the first month through April 17, 2025. Learn more about HoCo RapidRide here.
HoCo RapidRide is an innovative new transit service that will meet major gaps in public transportation along our Route One corridor. Through HoCo RapidRide, residents in Elkridge, Jessup, and Savage will be able to better travel around their neighborhoods and key destinations nearby. This microtransit transit service is another major step forward in our efforts to promote more accessible transportation connections for all.
The program, implemented in collaboration with service provider Via, is designed to complement Howard County’s existing public transportation system through the Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland (RTA) by removing barriers to accessing fixed route bus service in the area. When someone books a ride on HoCo RapidRide, the app matches other passengers headed in the same direction into one vehicle, creating efficient, shared trips. Through this service, Howard County has acquired four Dodge ProMaster 3500s, and each vehicle can transport seven passengers.
HoCo RapidRide will operate Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. After the first month of service, the cost per ride will be $2, except for senior citizens and HCPSS students who can continue to ride local transit for free. While the service area is primarily located along the northern Route 1 corridor, serving Elkridge, Jessup, and Savage, it also extends east to incorporate popular shopping destinations including Dobbin Center, Snowden Square, and Gateway Overlook.
HoCo RapidRide also offers wheelchair accessible trips. For riders who use a wheelchair, simply toggle on “Wheelchair accessibility” in the “Account” tab of the HoCo RapidRide mobile application. After requesting a ride, riders will be matched with a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
The service area selected for this pilot is primarily automobile-oriented and not easily or effectively served by traditional fixed-route service only. These challenges, coupled with an improving but still difficult pedestrian environment, are the main barriers to broader transit adoption in the area. The introduction of HoCo RapidRide will expand local transit coverage and complement the regional transit network through first and last mile connections.
In 2023, the County was awarded $500,000 through the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Statewide Transit Innovation Grant (STIG) and budgeted a match of $530,00 to create this innovative program, consistent with recommendations in the HoCo by Design General Plan Update and the MDOT/MTA US 1 Corridor Small Area Plan. The HoCo RapidRide service is a pilot program, and success will be evaluated throughout one year of service.
To learn more about HoCo RapidRide, please visit: https://city.ridewithvia.com/rapidride.