Sierra Club Montgomery County Group, along with several others**, has signed onto a “Better Buses” platform, to launch a comprehensive redesign of the Ride-On and Metrobus routes in the county. Buses promote sustainable and equitable transportation that benefits our local economy. We want fast, frequent, reliable, fare-free service that becomes the mode choice for most residents. Thank you to Jane Lyons, Coalition for Smarter Growth, for organizing this project. 

Highlights from our Montgomery County "Better Buses" Platform: 

o  Ride On is the largest suburban transportation system in the US with over 80 routes

o  Ride-On & Metro Montgomery County routes have not been comprehensively redesigned in over 20 years

o  much has changed -- Flash BRT, FLEX (micro buses on demand, akin to UBER), future Purple Line – need a design that connects all modes

o  rapidly aging population needs transportation without relying on private vehicle

o  EQUITY - our bus riders are 80% people of color, almost half have household income under $30,000

o  In a large, continuing Harvard study of upward mobility, commute time has emerged as the single strongest factor in the odds of escaping poverty.

o  ENVIRONMENT - transit takes the load off the road, reduces congestion, reduces GHG emissions

o  proposal to electrify the Ride On fleet by 2035 (note: Proterra will *lease* batteries for its electric buses, thereby reducing the upfront purchase price differential) Proterra rolls out bus battery leasing program

o  ECONOMY - in Montgomery County only 134,000 jobs are accessible within 45 minutes by transit, whereas over 1 million jobs are accessible within 45 minutes by car (EQUITY)

o  COVID shows us that transit is essential to front-line workers; and with a potential recession, fewer people can afford cars: we must fortify transit

o  pre-COVID, Ride On had been free for students, seniors (part of day) and people with disabilities -- let's make it free for all riders (just like it is today during COVID)

o  free Ride On means no waiting for people to find their money, plus people can board from both front and back doors (Note: fare equipment costs millions of dollars) 

Other Strengths of the Plan:

o  publish real time GTFS-Real Time bus data, which is friendly to wide variety of apps, available across the region

o  recommit to keeping Ride On jobs public and unionized 

o  create minimum standards/performance goals and publish results annually for each Ride-On route

o  post-COVID, let's not go back to congestion and air pollution

o  this platform aligns with the regional Bus Transformation Project, which supports fast, frequent, reliable, affordable service that feels unified

**The following groups have signed on to date:

• Audubon Naturalist Society

• CASA

• Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church Environmental Justice Ministry

• Coalition for Smarter Growth

• Community Development Network of Maryland

• Glen Echo Heights Mobilization

• Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland

• Institute for Policy Studies, Climate Policy Program

• League of Women Voters of Montgomery County

• Montgomery County Democratic Socialists of America

• Montgomery County Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions

• Montgomery County Food Council

• Shepherd’s Table

• Sierra Club, Montgomery County Group

• Takoma Park Mobilization

• TAME (Transit Alternatives to Midcounty Highway Extended) Coalition

• Progressive Maryland

• UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO