Leggett Announces Free Fares on New MD 355 Ride On extRa Service during October 2017

For Immediate Release: Monday, August 14, 2017

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett announced today at the Montgomery County Fair that the new, faster Ride On extRa rush hour service beginning October 2 on Route 355 will be free, on an introductory basis, during the month of October.

“Along Route 355, our busiest commuting route, people will have another option for getting to work and home, while using WiFi to stay connected,” said Leggett. “On an introductory basis, this service will be free during October, to encourage people to try it out and decide whether it might be preferable to their current commute by transit or car.”

Ride On extRa will run only during peak periods, Monday through Friday, 5:30 – 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 – 7:30 p.m. It will provide service from Lakeforest Transit Center in Gaithersburg to Medical Center Metro in Bethesda – running every ten minutes and making just twelve stops. The service will connect to half of the bus routes in the County, as well as Metrorail and MARC rail.

Ride on extRa vehicles will have many amenities that promote comfort and faster service. For example, the vehicles will have traffic signal priority and passengers will have low-floor boarding, free WiFi, USB charging ports and padding on seats.

Starting in November, this service will be available for a regular Ride On fare, via SmartTrip card, pass or cash. Fare cards may not be reloaded on these buses.

Ride On extRa stops will include Lakeforest Transit Center, Summit Ave., Westland Dr., Shady Grove Metro, Montgomery College, Rockville Metro, Edmonston Dr., Halpine Rd., Marinelli Rd., Security Ln., Tuckerman Ln., and Medical Center. There will be new bus shelters and bus stop flag signs to identify Ride On extRa bus stops.

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Media Contact: Lorraine Driscoll, 240-777-6507

Release ID: 17-439Media Contact: Lorraine Driscoll 240-777-6507