Free rides on St. Mary’s Transit System buses could be on the table after the county lost part of its federal transit funding this year, and the decision on what happens next will rest with the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County.
County transportation staff told the St. Mary’s County Transportation Advisory Committee on Oct. 15 that federal funding was cut this year and the transit system will be back to about fiscal year 2023 funding levels. Asked whether STS can stay fare-free, staff said that is not their call. They will bring recommendations and options to the commissioners, covering the rest of this year and future service.
No fare change has been proposed or adopted. Rides remain free for now.
STS dropped fares on its public routes and its paratransit service on July 1, 2025. The commissioners approved it as a one-year pilot in the fiscal 2026 budget, to test whether free service would raise ridership, improve access and ease costs for riders who depend on the bus, according to the county’s announcement of the pilot. The county did not publish ridership figures in that release, and staff did not give any at the Oct. 15 meeting.
The committee member who raised the question noted reports of federal transit cuts and asked whether riders should expect fares to return. Staff did not give a dollar figure for the cut or say which federal program it came from.
Buses parked at the airport for a month
The funding question came during the first report from Bill Green, whom staff introduced as the new STS supervisor.
Since Sept. 28, STS has been running out of St. Mary’s County Regional Airport while crews redo the concrete floor of the bus garage at the system’s main building. Green said the small buses are staged in the airport’s overlook parking lot, where people often watch planes take off, and the large buses sit near the gate to the tarmac, blocked off with signs and cones.
The move has gone well for employees, Green said, and has drawn plenty of curious pilots. If the concrete work stays on schedule, STS plans to move back to its main facility Nov. 1 and resume operations from there the next day. Green said the airport is a temporary home, not a permanent one.
Hiring, new vehicles and a booking portal
STS has about 40 employees after losing a few, and it is starting interviews to fill openings, Green said.
Four transit vans and two buses are planned and expected in the near future. Green did not give a cost or delivery date.
The system has also switched to new dispatch software for paratransit, the door-to-door service for riders who cannot use fixed routes. The goal is to let clients book rides through their own online portal. Further down the road, the vendor’s platform includes an artificial intelligence option that would let riders communicate with the system directly, with a human dispatcher still available if it fails.
That AI piece is not in use. Green said STS is still weighing whether it is compatible with local needs and would be efficient. The tools come bundled with the platform from the company hired for the dispatch software.
Staff are also finishing federal paperwork: the agency safety plan and the system’s annual report to the federal government, due Oct. 31, plus a Title VI plan, which spells out how a transit system that receives federal money avoids discrimination in service.
Funding pressure on small transit systems is not limited to St. Mary’s. Next door, Charles County is seeking $1.9 million to replace 11 VanGO buses.
The Transportation Advisory Committee advises the county on transit and transportation and meets quarterly. At the same meeting, members heard a pitch for an electric passenger ferry that could serve Leonardtown and Historic St. Mary’s City. The committee voted to keep its 2027 schedule, with the next meeting at 1 p.m. Jan. 21 in the Commissioners’ Gallery Room. Route and service information is on the STS website.
