Charles County is asking the federal government to help replace a big piece of its aging public bus fleet.
At their Sept. 15 meeting, the Charles County Commissioners approved a grant application seeking about $1.9 million in capital assistance from the Federal Transit Administration’s Buses and Bus Facilities Program. The money would pay for 11 replacement buses for VanGO, the county’s public transit system, and for “repowering” three more buses, which means replacing their engines and drivetrains to keep them on the road longer.
The vote was 3-0, with Commissioners Thomasina Coates and Ralph Patterson absent, according to the meeting’s signed minutes. The motion also authorized the county to sign a letter of support committing to pay the local share.
What the county would pay
Robert Romero, the county’s chief of transit, told commissioners the federal program covers up to 80% of a project’s cost. The county’s 20% share is estimated at $395,000, and Romero said that money would be proposed in the fiscal year 2028 budget. The application was due Sept. 21.
The commissioners have already been setting money aside for transit matches. On Sept. 1, they approved a new $1.2 million “Transit Local Match Funding” reserve from the fiscal year 2026 year-end budget review, described in the minutes as a way to “offset less than expected Federal Funding and higher than expected costs.”
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Capital assistance requested | About $1.9 million |
| Replacement buses | 11 (gasoline) |
| Buses to be repowered | 3 |
| Federal share | Up to 80% |
| County share (20%), estimated | $395,000, proposed for FY2028 |
| Commissioners’ vote, Sept. 15 | 3-0 (Coates, Patterson absent) |
Gas, not electric
One commissioner asked whether any of the 11 new buses would be electric. “Not at this time,” Romero said. “They will be gasoline powered buses.” He said the buses being replaced have reached the end of their useful life or will within the next year.
Asked whether the county had compared the costs of electric and gas buses, Romero said staff had looked at what the current infrastructure could support and found the local power grid would need upgrades “in order to support a fleet of our size.” He offered to provide more detail.
Part of a larger rebuild
The application is one piece of a broader effort to modernize VanGO, which runs fixed routes and paratransit service across the county:
- February: Commissioners approved VanGO’s fiscal year 2027 Annual Transportation Plan, which requested about $12.9 million for operations and $2 million in capital assistance, including replacing 12 buses and repowering three.
- November 2025: The county won $10 million in federal funding for a new transit maintenance and operations facility.
- Oct. 2: The county opened bidding for construction of that VanGO maintenance facility.
- State budget: Maryland’s draft six-year transportation program includes three replacement buses and transit facility funding for Charles.
The Federal Transit Administration awards Buses and Bus Facilities grants competitively, so the county’s request is not guaranteed. If it is funded, the $395,000 local share would come up during budget talks for fiscal year 2028, which begins July 1, 2027, under the new board of commissioners that takes office in December.
Information on VanGO routes and schedules is available on the county’s VanGO page.
