Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative

The Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative (GBBI) (pronounced GIBBY) was a sweeping overhaul planned by the

Robert Ehrlich and his transportation secretary Robert Flanagan that was said to be the largest single-phase overhaul in the history of the agency and its parent companies.^[1]

According to Ehrlich and Flanagan, the initiative was a series of improvements to the transit system in the Baltimore area. While some of the proposed changes were obvious improvements, others were heavily opposed by riders, elected officials, and advocates, who considered them inconveniences and losses of service.[2]^[3] As a result, a scaled-back version of the plan dubbed Phase I was implemented on its originally scheduled date, October 23, 2005, that included about one-third of the original plans and some modifications to those. Of those plans not implemented on this date, some were entirely scrapped, and others delayed.

During 2006, a second wave of changes dubbed Phase II was proposed and was modified during that year. Though Flanagan continued to state these were improvements, these plans continued to be viewed as controversial and resulted in legislative action to delay their implementation.

Following these political battles and the change of administration in the state of Maryland, the remainder of GBBI was officially canceled in on May 9, 2007, with no further routing changes being made under that name. But in September 2007, MTA announced that a series of hearings would be held the following month regarding a new wave of proposed changes.^[4] Though not titled "Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative" or anything similar, some of the planned changes did resemble those previously announced as part of GBBI. Most of these new routings were implemented on February 17, 2008.^[5]

Background

Announced in the Summer 2005, the GBBI plan involved routing and scheduling changes to all but six of the agency's then 59 local bus lines and some of its commuter services. These modifications included some expansions, increased frequency of service on some lines, consolidation of some lines, and elimination of others.^[6]

According to MTA, service would be improved in the following ways:

Frequency would be increased in many areas
Service would be simplified from a set of lines with many branches each to a set of routes with all trips following the identical route
There would be longer layovers, allowing for more recovery time and better reliability
Lines would be made more direct with fewer transfers being made necessary and fewer deviations off the main routes
Bus stops would be better placed to strike a balance between access and efficiency
Rapid west-east crosstown service would be provided on a new
No. 40 Line that would operate from Security Square Mall
to Essex Park-and-Ride

Some lines would be combined for single-seat service to a broader range of areas

Duplication of service by multiple bus lines would be reduced in order to use the savings generated to provide additional service on other lines

Improved bus service would be provided to landmarks where ridership was in greater demand, including colleges, universities, hospitals, and shopping malls.
Improved crosstown service would be provided, as most riders today are not trying to travel downtown, but rather other places in the city
Improved midday service would be provided, as midday ridership has steadily increased over the years

The plan did not meet well with riders, community activists, and elected officials.^{[citation needed]} According to critics, the plan had the following problems:

Bus service would be eliminated on certain streets, requiring riders, including the elderly and disabled, to walk a few extra blocks to reach a bus line.
Certain lines and branches of some lines serving various employers were to be eliminated. MTA described these as underutilized branches.
Travel for some would be more complicated, requiring additional transfers. For those less able to adapt, travel would be even more troubling.
The plan was also criticized for being deceptive. While the advantages provided to riders were highlighted, the losses of service or reductions in frequency that resulted were mentioned little if at all.

A series of hearings were held during that summer pertaining to the changes. Many of the modifications were met with heavy criticism from the riders, the media, elected officials, and civic organizations, and as a result, many planned changes were either delayed or not implemented at all.^[7]

Phase I

On October 23, 2005, the original planned date with the changes to take effect, a scaled-back version of the plan, dubbed Phase I, was implemented. Service was added, eliminated, reduced, or modified on just 26 lines in the system, where MTA believed these changes would have only a minimal negative impact. Lines involved in these changes included nos. 2, 4, 8, 10, 13, 20, 23, 24, 31, 33, 35, 44, 65, 77, 86, 102, 103, 105, 150, 160, M-1, M-6, M-8, M-10, M-12, and M-17 (see "changes" below for more details).^[8]

Nevertheless, the changes were met by riders with disdain, and were protested by the

Baltimore Sun

were as follows:

Riders who at one time caught
Route 4
, which only provided hourly service, and did not serve various communities deviating off of Wise Avenue.

The new
Stella Maris
. Riders who at one time had single-seat service on the no. 8 line, had to transfer, and were missing their connections.
The modified
Route 13 did not provide service along Washington Street, Wolfe Street, or Milton Avenue, requiring the elderly to walk up to six blocks.^[7]

Route M-6

, causing employees of the Baltimore area's largest employer to be late. In addition, no off-peak service was provided to the Social Security campus.

The elimination of the Route M-6 required the elderly to walk at least several blocks to the nearest bus line.

Caves Roads

.

Various lines had very poor
schedule adherence. These included nos. 2/10, 8, 9, 20, and 23, and the new no. 40 line. In addition, many reported the no. 40 line had very low ridership. Additionally, studies showed the system had a very poor on-time performance.^[10]

Revisions to Phase I

Around New Year's Day 2006, MTA announced that there would be some revisions to the original changes proposed due to various issues. These included:

More peak hour service would be added to

Route 9

, which would be extended to International Circle.

Selected weekday trips on
Route 20 would makes short turns
in the Dundalk area in order to improve schedule adherence.

Route 13

would return to its original route on Washington and Wolfe Streets on most trips, and a new branch would be added to serve Milton Street.

Route 40 would be extended to Middle River
, and its frequency slightly reduced.

Activists were disappointed when no reversals were announced for

Route M-6

at this time. However, a handful of Route M-6 trips were reintroduced in March, which was not enough to please activists.

Phase II

In 2006, a Phase II was proposed that was met with even more controversy. This phase was delayed several times for various reasons, and ultimately scrapped in 2007 following the election of Governor Martin O'Malley in favor of incremental changes.

In March of that year, MTA announced that there would be a Phase II of GBBI. In the announcement, it was declared that twenty-three local bus lines would undergo routing and/or scheduling changes, or else be consolidated with other lines, and these changes would take place on June 11, 2006. According to MTA literature produced at the time, these changes were all improvements that would, for the most part, have a positive impact on riders. Then Maryland transportation secretary Robert Flanagan said that only 46 riders would lose their daily bus service.

The plan was heavily criticized, not only because some riders would lose service or else find it more difficult, but because no hearings were being held to get input from riders. Flanagan said that hearings held during the previous year were sufficient, and that those who had concerns about these changes could write letters to MTA to express their views.

The plan was delayed when the 2006 General Assembly wrote language into their budget that stated that no improvements could be made on any MTA bus lines until MTA held a minimum of two hearings, besides several other stipulations.

As a result of the language found in the budget passed by the Maryland General Assembly, the June 11 improvements were delayed. In late June 2006, two hearings were held per requirement. At the hearings, riders mostly voiced concerns pertaining to the negative impact felt by the October 2005 changes, as well as minor details of the planned ones.

A second version of phase II was proposed later in 2006, in which some of the original Phase II proposals were modified based on earlier complaints, but it never took effect, with the exception of additional service being added on five bus lines in October of that year.

Robert Ehrlich as Maryland governor, and much of the administration saw changes, MTA has delayed further implementing any part of GBBI in order to give the O'Malley administration a chance to place their stamp of approval upon the changes, but the administration announced it was scrapping the plan on May 9, 2007 in favor of incremental changes three times a year. The first set of changes, which affected 19 bus lines, and were mostly very minor, took place on June 10, 2007.^{[citation needed}

]

February 2008 plans

In September 2007, MTA announced a set of hearings that would be held the following month regarding a series of changes to ten lines. This was not considered to be a part of the already canceled GBBI, though some of the changes that were proposed resembled those under GBBI. Most notably, plans included:

Rerouting
Route 36
to replace the southern portion
Eliminating
11
Realigning Routes
Towson
area
Realigning Routes
98
in the Hampden area
Changes the route of
Route 16
and doubling its peak hour frequency

Additionally, several other changes never included in GBBI were proposed:

Introducing a new
20
, which would not be changed
Modifying Routes
Wal-Mart Supercenter
.
Splitting
59

On February 17, 2008, all these changes were implemented, except Route 61 service continued to operate during peak hours only.

Changes

Route No.	Plan	Outcome
1	Remove section between Mondawmin and Sinai Hospital and provide on a new Route 28. Change routing in South Baltimore.	In 2006, as part of Phase II, a proposal was made to extend service 7 days a week to Sinai Hospital and to modify routing in the downtown area. These changes were implemented in 2008.
2	Combine with Route 10 and extend to Dundalk	Fully implemented in Phase I
3	Increase service on Sheppard Pratt	No changes made in Phase I. Later proposals included retaining Sheppard Pratt branch, one that involved shortening it to Towson, and another that kept it operating to Sheppard Pratt with routing change in Route 55 , and adding weekend service. The latter was implemented on February 17, 2008.
4	Eliminate portion of route between Merritt Boulevard corridor	All plans implemented in Phase I. Franklin Square terminus relocated to CCBC Essex campus, and two daily Yellow Brick Road trips retained.
5	Reroute to bypass Reservoir Hill; operate all trips via Johns Hopkins Hospital area, and eliminate all other branches in this area	No changes made to this line. Proposals in 2006 included providing Reservoir Hill service on another line or a separate branch of this line, but were never implemented. In 2008, a new Route 6 was introduced to supplement service on the east side of this line.
7	Eliminate line, which would require all riders to walk a few blocks to the nearest route, and provide service to Route 11	No major changes have been made to Route 7. Two proposals in 2006 involved modifying route of Route 7 to Cherry Hill, and not changing the route at all but reducing its frequency to one bus an hour, but neither were implemented.
8	Split into two routes. New route of Route 8 would be from downtown to Stella Maris branches would be eliminated.	Implemented in Phase I. Service to Stella Maris was retained on a new Route 12, and a private contractor provided service to Loveton.
10	Combine with Wise Avenue .	Fully implemented in Phase I
11	Split route in downtown area, and provide service on southern portion of route on GBMC to Canton along a single routing through Rodgers Forge, with a new extension from downtown Baltimore to Canton.	Plan delayed several times, and new versions introduced in 2006 that would extend the route from GBMC to Wal-Mart Supercenter .
13	Modify routing in East Baltimore to Patterson Park Avenue to simplify routing. Eliminate branches to Social Security and Lower Canton.	Implemented in Phase I. On February 5, 2006, main routing returned to Federal Streets.
14	Split route, with all Route 14 operating from Annapolis at a reduced level of service and no Sunday service	No such changes have been made to this line
15	Change routing at Walbrook Junction, with new route operating north to Overlea loop.	No changes made resulting from GBBI. In June 2007, Route 68 was recombined into Route 15, restoring service to Forest Park Avenue, and regular service to White Marsh was provided.
16	Double frequency at all times except on Sundays. Change routing in Poplar Grove Street. Eliminate trips via Violetville .	No changes made in 2005. In 2006, the midday and Saturday frequency was improved, and the route change proposal was modified from Gwynns Falls Parkway to Coppin State College . Violetville trips continue to operate. In 2008, the peak hour frequency was doubled.
17	Eliminate all service on this line, except trips between BWI Airport when light rail is not operating. Encourage riders to use Howard Transit service to reach Arundel Mills .	No changes in 2005. In 2006, a new proposal was made that would have kept the line operating, but eliminated service west of Arundel Mills. These changes were no made, but in later years, selected trips to certain locations were eliminated, and the overall level of service was not reduced.
19	Eliminate Joppa Heights and Hickey School branches	No changes were made in 2005. In 2006, two new proposals were introduced. One would have shortened the line to Route 27 route. No changes have been made to this line.
20	Extend all trips to CCBC Dundalk campus.	All changes implemented, except service continues to operate on Old Frederick Road. In February 2006, about half of all weekday trips were shortened to Dundalk and Center Place to improve schedule adherence .
21	No changes planned	No changes made under GBBI. In 2009, route was extended north to Mondawmin.
22	Double frequency at most times. Eliminate Lombard & Kane branch.	Frequency was doubled in October 2006. Lombard & Kane branch was later eliminated.
23	Extend all trips to Fox Ridge and eliminate all other eastern branches.	Modified as planned; however, after complaints from merchants on West Saratoga Street in downtown, service was restored to that area. The Wildwood branch continues to operate, with selected trips operating either to or via Wildwood.
24	No changes planned	Though no changes were originally planned, frequency of service was improved to one bus every hour to settle complaints about the loss of service on Route 33 .
27	Discontinue service as Route 27, but provide service on other lines. Extend Roland Avenue or to Seton Business Park or Port Covington.	No changes were made in 2005. In 2006, two other versions of this plan were introduced that provided service in areas originally proposed not to have replacement service, except one plan did not serve Cross Country area. Neither were introduced. In 2008, all Route 27 trips were modified to operate via Falls Road, with Route 98 modified to serve Roland Avenue, a 2006 proposal, while retaining operation of Route 27.
28	New route scheduled to operate from between Mt. Washington and North Avenue light rail stops via portions of Routes 1, 5, and 27.	Route was never introduced. Later proposals provided these services on other lines.
29	Provide bi-directional routing and extend service every 30 minutes into Russell Street	No changes were made in 2005. In 2006, two alternate proposals were introduced that would also have provided bi-directional routing, and would extend the line to Port Covington rather than downtown Baltimore. Neither plan was introduced.
31	Combine line with Route 77 .	All plans implemented, except selected rush hour trips continue to operate to Beltway Business Park area. The line was identified as Route 31/35 for the first three months of operation before assuming the Route 35 designation.
33	No routing changes planned, but improve midday frequency	Though originally no routing changes were planned, the line was extended to Route 35 . This also allowed for a new connection with several other bus lines. No frequency improvements were made until October 2006.
35	Combined with CCBC Essex campus, Rosedale area, Chesaco Park, and Armistead Gardens . Change routing in downtown area.	Fully implemented as planned. Modifications were made in the plans for 33 to replace service once provided by branches of this route.
36	Extend to Route 11 , which was proposed to be split	No changes were made in 2005. Plan was reintroduced in 2006, but not implemented. After being introduced again in 2007, it was implemented in 2008, with a routing change in the Wal-Mart Supercenter .
40	New route proposed to provide limited stop service between Edmondson Avenue and Eastern Boulevard .	Service started operating on October 23, 2005. On February 5, 2006, line was extended to schedule adherence. The route was later branded as "Quickbus," a designation also given to Route 48 introduced in 2009.
44	Extend all trips either to Security Square Mall or Social Security Administration. Eliminate service to Brighton and Rutherford Business Park.	Modified as planned. In later years, the frequency of this service was doubled between Rogers Avenue Metro Subway Station and Rosedale Industrial Park.
50	No changes planned	No changes made
51	Improve weekend frequency and operate all trips to Patapsco station via Baltimore Highlands	No changes made in 2005. In 2006, a plan was introduced to extend the route to Route 27 , which has not been modified in this area. No changes have been made to this line. In later years, the frequency of this service was doubled (except on Sundays), with alternating trips via Cherry Hill and Mt. Winans.
55	Improve midday frequency to one bus every 30 minutes, and introduce Sunday service; eliminate trips via Marshfield Business Park.	No changes were made in 2005. In 2006, a new plan was introduced that would replace the portion of the route between the Towson Courthouse and 11 . No routing changes were made in 2006, but Sunday service was introduced along this new route. On February 17, 2008, the modifications to the route and schedule were made on other days.
61	Discontinue service. While other lines already provide regular service on other parts of the route, there would be no service on Roland Avenue , requiring riders to walk.	No changes were made in 2005. In 2006, a new plan was introduced to provide Route 11 . In 2007, this plan was proposed again. In 2008, the line continued to operate, but during peak hours only at a reduced frequency.
64	Extend route north to Route 27. Shorten Riviera Beach trips to Energy Parkway. Change routing through downtown area to serve some key points. Improve frequency at certain times.	This plan was proposed again twice in 2006, but no changes have been made to the line.
65	Discontinue due to low ridership	Discontinued as planned
68	Change from a short temporary shuttle to a regular route between Security Square Mall and Mondawmin, replacing portions of other routes that were proposed to be modified.	No changes were made. In 2007, this service was reabsorbed by Route 15.
77	Extend all trips to Patapsco station, with routing change to serve areas that had been served by Route 31. Improve midday and Saturday service to one bus every 30 minutes.	Fully implemented in Phase I
86	Discontinue service and encourage riders to transfer to Route 44	Discontinued as planned
91	Discontinue service and provide on other routes. Extend Walbrook Junction. No replacement for service was planned on Eutaw Place in Bolton Hill , and riders were encouraged to walk to other lines.	No changes were made in 2005. In 2006, one new plan was introduced that would involve shortening the route in the downtown area, and a revised version involved no routing changes, but a reduction in frequency, with part of the route being supplemented by another line that would have been called Route M-5. No changes have been made to the line since.
97	Reduce service to once an hour, and encourage riders to use other overlapping routes at other times.	No changes were made in 2005. In 2006, a proposal was made to reroute the line through Reservoir Hill rather than Route 5 serving this area, but was later abandoned.
98	Discontinue service	This service was not discontinued. In 2006, it was proposed to change the routing to Route 27 had been operating. This plan was implemented in 2008 after Route 27 was modified to provide consistent routing along Falls Road .
M-1	Operate all trips to the Route M-8 . Discontinue service to Bellemore Farms.	Fully implemented. Was redesignated Route 52 in 2009 with no routing changes.
M-2	No changes planned	No changes made. Was redesignated Route 53 in 2009 with no routing changes.
M-3	No changes planned in Phase I	In 2006, it was proposed for Phase II of GBBI that this line would be combined with Route 54 .
M-6	Eliminate line, and provide service by extending all Route 44 trips to the Security Boulevard area.	Fully implemented in 2005. This was one of the most controversial changes made, as it meant that no service was available along Gwynn Oak Avenue inside the city limits. In March 2006, a handful of Route M-6 trips were reintroduced, and in October 2006, Route M-6 was restored to full-time status, though Route 44 service was not diminished. In 2008, the line was renumbered to Route 57.
M-8	Extend line from Route M-1 .	Was not extended to Route 54 .
M-9	No changes planned in Phase I	When the list of Phase II proposals was announced in 2006, it was proposed that midday and weekend frequencies be improved. This plan was not implemented in 2006. In 2008, The line was split into two separate routes: 59 , both with improved frequencies, and both which continue to operate to this day.
M-10	Eliminate all service on Old Pimlico and Rogers Avenue Metro Subway Stations . Improve midday service to one bus every 30 minutes, and weekend service to one bus an hour.	Portions of the route to Rogers Avenue Metro Subway Station and on Old Pimlico Road were discontinued as planned, and the line's frequency was increased as planned. However, service to Route M-12 .
M-12	Discontinue service	Line was discontinued as planned. Peak hour trips on Villa Julie College to offset complaints about loss of service to this location.
M-17	Discontinue portions of the route via Owings Mills Corporate Campus and Route 102 .	Fully implemented. In 2009, in conjunction with the closure of Red Run Boulevard , and Route service to other parts of the route were not replaced.

External links

References

^ Dresser, Michael (June 2005). "Sweeping revision of bus routes proposed". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
^ Andrew A. Green (2005-06-22). "Ehrlich extends study of bus route changes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
^ Elizabeth Williamson (2005-06-23). "Critics Urge State to Save Bus Routes From Cuts". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
^ "MTA Announces Public Hearings For Proposed Bus Service Modifications". MTA Maryland press release. 2007-09-12. Archived from the original on 2009-12-30. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
^ "MTA Announces Local Bus Service Changes Effective February 17, 2008". MTA Maryland press release. 2007-12-27. Archived from the original on December 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
^ Dresser, Michael (2005-06-09). "Sweeping revision of bus routes proposed". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
^ ^a ^b ^c Michael Dresser (2005-08-06). "Revised bus route plan still draws some critics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
^ Michael Dresser (2005-07-29). "State unveils bus route changes less sweeping than prior proposal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
^ Dresser, Michael (June 2005). "Hundreds gather to decry bus route changes". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
^ Michael Dresser (2006-06-14). "MTA buses fail on-time tests: Survey of 9 routes finds only 41% run on schedule". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
^ Dresser, Michael (July 2005). "State unveils bus route changes less sweeping than prior proposal". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-02.

[1] Dresser, Michael (June 2005). "Sweeping revision of bus routes proposed". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2007-08-02.

[2] Andrew A. Green (2005-06-22). "Ehrlich extends study of bus route changes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2009-12-17.

[3] Elizabeth Williamson (2005-06-23). "Critics Urge State to Save Bus Routes From Cuts". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-12-17.

[4] "MTA Announces Public Hearings For Proposed Bus Service Modifications". MTA Maryland press release. 2007-09-12. Archived from the original on 2009-12-30. Retrieved 2009-12-17.

[5] "MTA Announces Local Bus Service Changes Effective February 17, 2008". MTA Maryland press release. 2007-12-27. Archived from the original on December 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-17.

[6] Dresser, Michael (2005-06-09). "Sweeping revision of bus routes proposed". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2007-08-02.

[latimes.com-7] Michael Dresser (2005-08-06). "Revised bus route plan still draws some critics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-12-17.

[8] Michael Dresser (2005-07-29). "State unveils bus route changes less sweeping than prior proposal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-12-17.

[9] Dresser, Michael (June 2005). "Hundreds gather to decry bus route changes". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2007-08-02.

[10] Michael Dresser (2006-06-14). "MTA buses fail on-time tests: Survey of 9 routes finds only 41% run on schedule". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2009-12-17.

[11] Dresser, Michael (July 2005). "State unveils bus route changes less sweeping than prior proposal". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-02.

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