Prince George’s has ambitious transit plans, but they’re threatened by a lack of funding

Prince George’s is a sprawling county of nearly 500 square miles with a huge need for bus and other transit services. Yet hours and times for bus service are limited, with no Sunday service for the county’s TheBus and evening hours ending early, often by 7 pm. With 11% of the population in poverty, less expensive, more reliable and accessible public transportation could serve a broad range of needs.

Later this spring, the county will release a new Transit Vision Plan that encompasses TheBus, Metrorail, Metrobus, Amtrak, state bus routes, and paratransit. Along with ongoing plans to build transit-oriented communities, the plan offers Prince George’s a glimpse at a future with a vibrant economy held together not by cars and sprawl but by public transit and walkable urban nodes.

The opportunity is great in a county with branches of Metro’s Green, Orange, Blue, and Silver lines, many of whose stations are surrounded by low-density development. Yet the county is currently facing a budget crisis, with a $171 million budget shortfall for 2025, leaving doubt as to where the money will come from to finance a better future.

Prince George’s greatest transit improvement needs, particularly for buses, are like those of many jurisdictions — more frequent, reliable service to make the bus desirable for all residents, and not just the resort of people with limited options. Surveys for the Vision Plan have revealed the need for increased bus service, especially at peak times and on weekends, “to reduce waiting times and improve accessibility for riders,” according to the county Department of Public Works & Transportation. Making bus stops more accessible and comfortable, along with improved pedestrian infrastructure, are other key concerns.

Looking toward better transit

Following a 2018 revision plan, Prince George’s extended evening hours and introduced Saturday service for TheBus. The Vision Plan is the next step, following a months-long process, including community meetings, online surveys, and pop-up events at transit stations.

“They’re reaching out to the people it matters for, going to bus stops and major bus stations,” said Cheryl Cort, policy director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

In addition to improving bus frequency and reliability, the plan’s more visionary objectives include considering how buses, trains, and rapid bus corridors can connect developing transit hubs, according to the transportation department. More immediately, WMATA will soon be unveiling greatly improved bus service on Silver Hill Road in Suitland, from the Addison Road Metro station to Marlow Heights.

Cort is particularly excited about the coming improvements on Silver Hill Road, which hosts six bus lines serving nearly 13,000 passengers a day. These buses connect to Metro’s Green Line, linking residents to numerous employment centers. Upgrades include dedicated bus lanes and queue jump signals.

Cort said such projects often require an infusion of federal money. And while bus rapid transit, or BRT, projects get a lot of attention from transit advocates, cheaper improvements can also make a big difference speeding up buses.

“I don’t know if BRT per se should be the goal, but delivery of prioritized movement of buses” should be, said Cort.

Improvements to bus service would complement ambitious transit-oriented-development plans for Prince George’s County, including a major rethinking and rebuilding all along the Blue Line, new homes and businesses in Greenbelt to serve the 7500 employees of the planned FBI Headquarters, and ongoing mixed-use development around the New Carrollton station. If taken to fruition, such plans would enable a vibrant economy and social life, further incorporating Prince George’s into the greater Washington region.

The plan in Prince George’s will be complementary to WMATA’s Better Bus initiative and other regional efforts. Montgomery County is working on a similar vision plan, RideOn Reimagined, and a bus rapid transit network, while efforts in northern Virginia include a regional bus analysis, an Alexandria Vision Plan, completed in 2020, as well as strategic plans in Fairfax and Arlington counties and ambitious BRT plans along Route 7 and Route 1. Taken together, these plans offer the possibility of a comprehensive transit network that could transform the region and make it less car-dependent.

One transit rider’s experience

Better bus service is greatly needed in Prince George’s County, said Monica Mische, a Greenbelt resident and Montgomery College professor who has not driven a car in nearly 25 years, largely out of environmental concerns. Since the pandemic, she has reduced her public transit use due to limited options, she explained.

“The 11 bus doesn’t operate as late as it used to or as early,” she says, so she has trouble making her 8:00 am class. In addition to the curtailed bus schedule, there are also fewer trains: the Yellow Line to Greenbelt has been cut, often meaning a longer wait.

Mische now carpools as much as possible, since transit often makes for a two hour trip: a bus to Greenbelt, a train to Fort Totten, a second train to Rockville, and another bus. A car trip, meanwhile, takes about 40 minutes.

Mische is concerned about the state of bus service. “If the ridership is not increasing, they’re going to cut,” she said. But she also thinks that if conditions change more people would take transit.

“I would like to encourage more of my fellow citizens in Greenbelt to take the bus,” she said, since increasing ridership encourages increased service. “Whatever incentives can be offered for people to take transportation, it would be worth the effort.”

Mische noted more frequent service and lower prices, or even a free bus, as important ways to spur ridership.

What about financing?

One of the biggest obstacles to making Prince George’s an urban planner’s dream, with walkable, bikeable communities tied to an array of transit options, is money.

“All the Covid money has dried up,” said Cort. Despite a strong economy, she says, “Prince George’s is way behind on tax revenue from commercial real estate.”

On top of the current budget crisis, Prince George’s has long underfunded its bus system relative to nearby jurisdictions.

“It’s a challenge because Prince George’s is facing a pretty significant budget shortfall, and the bus doesn’t get the priority funding that it should,” said Cort.

Due to the limited funding, county officials plan to phase in new transit services, while seeking additional state and federal funds for major improvements. If success breeds success, perhaps Prince George’s is on its way to the transit network of the future.

If the county were to implement this network, it could yield multiple benefits, including curbing carbon emissions and reducing traffic.

Mische stressed that it would also make for a more equitable transportation system.

“For people who really rely on transit because they have no other options — so people who can’t drive, people with disabilities, elderly people, people with low incomes — they’re always going to be the ones who suffer when there’s cutbacks. They’re the ones who really need public transportation.”