Howard County Councilmembers spent the work session reviewing CB4, a proposed multiyear memorandum of agreement with Montgomery County and the State of Maryland to extend bus rapid transit (BRT) along U.S. 29 into Howard County. The council and staff discussed funding, procurement, ridership assumptions and a tentative operating timeline that could put buses in service in spring 2026.

Under the current financing plan described at the work session, Montgomery County is handling procurement of electric buses using a congressionally directed spending award of about $4.8 million. Howard County’s anticipated match for federally supported capital (the typical 80/20-style arrangement for Federal Transit Administration vehicle projects) is roughly $1.45 million, staff said. Individual battery-electric buses were described in the session as costing about $1.2 million each.

Why it matters: the proposal would create a new regional commuting connection — enabling Howard County riders to reach the Washington Metro system and give Montgomery County residents direct service north into Howard County — but it depends on federal and state funding actions and interjurisdictional coordination.

County transportation staff told the council that Montgomery County will lead bus procurement and federal compliance steps; Howard County would provide the matching funds and coordinate operations once the vehicles are available. Staff said Montgomery County’s existing Flash service currently carries roughly 3,000–4,000 riders per weekday and that initial BRT demand estimates rely on a combination of that history and older demand studies. Councilmembers repeatedly pressed staff for updated, written ridership, revenue and financial projections; staff acknowledged there are no formal updated demand or revenue projections since a 2019 study.

Operating and fare assumptions discussed at the meeting included Montgomery County’s $1 one‑way fare and a plan to operate the Howard‑Montgomery extension fare‑free for the first one to two years to encourage ridership while staff assess fare recovery. Councilmembers asked whether farebox revenues were realistic given fare-collection equipment costs; staff said fare revenue typically does not cover transit operating costs for many bus systems.

Capacity and service details shared at the session: 60‑foot buses were described as seating about 54 passengers, 40‑foot buses about 34 seated, and maximum loaded capacities near 80 people when standing room is used. Staff said the corridor currently operates roughly 13 buses, with peak frequencies near every eight minutes and off‑peak frequencies around 15 minutes. The county also discussed transit signal priority and using shoulders or dedicated lanes as ways to buy travel time along congested segments.

Council concern focused on several areas: whether ridership assumptions reflect post‑COVID commuting patterns and return‑to‑office guidance, whether Howard County businesses or job centers (notably APL and Maple Lawn) would actually generate riders from the locations where workers live, and how long it will take to secure state support for shoulder‑use studies and infrastructure changes. Staff said some shoulder segments already operate in Montgomery County (about three miles) and that work to secure analyses and funding from the State Highway Administration is ongoing but not yet funded in full.

There was no council vote during the work session; staff characterized the MOU as a step that would allow Montgomery County to obligate federal grant funding and initiate procurement. Staff noted delivery and production-line timing for buses could put vehicle availability in approximately 12–18 months after procurement — a timeline that aligns with a spring 2026 service start if other actions proceed.

What’s next: the council and transportation staff will continue to vet the MOU and budget implications. The project’s advancement depends on Montgomery County’s procurement schedule, vehicle production slots, execution of federal grant obligations and state decisions on corridor improvements (shoulders, medians and signal priority) that affect travel time and reliability.