new Columbia - Bethesda commuter bus service!

Back in February of last year, I wrote about two new commuter bus routes that run along the ICC and through Howard County-- the 201 and the 202, which run between Gaithersburg and BWI and Gaithersburg and Ft. Meade respectively.

Now that most of the ICC is complete, the MTA has introduced three more routes-- the 203, 204, and 205.  Route 204 runs between Frederick and College Park; Route 205 runs between College Park and Germantown.  You can find more info on all of these routes at http://www.mtaiccbus.com.

Route 203 operates between Columbia and Bethesda! It runs on weekdays only-- three times in the morning, three times in the evening, and once midday.  Route 203 begins at the Snowden River Park and Ride, stops at the Mall, the Scaggsville Park and Ride, and the Burtonsville Park and Ride, then it takes the ICC westward to the Georgia Avenue Park and Ride.  From there, it heads south to USUHS and the Medical Center Metro Station/NIH.

From MTA's Commuter Bus website.

The ride is $5 for a single ticket, though there are more cost-effective ten-trip tickets and monthly passes available as well.  You can find detailed schedules and more info from a PDF version of the schedule here.

Alas, dear readers, I am late.  MTA was offering free rides on this service through last week, but for $5 it's totally worth a shot anyhow.

I ride the 310 commuter bus from Columbia to Baltimore pretty much everyday and I love it.  I don't have to pay for parking downtown.  (Actually, I do now have a free spot to park in but the bus stops much closer to my office than the spot, though that is where I park if I have to drive in.)  I can sleep or read or work on my ride in.  The buses are coach-style buses, so they're comfortable.  The service is also very punctual and dependable, which is nice.

Do you ride the 203?  If you give it a shot, comment below and let us know how it is.