Ride On (bus)

1970s–1990s

Ride On began service on March 31, 1975, as Ride-On, in response to WMATA asking Montgomery County to pay for the operation of MetroBus routes within the county. Serving Silver Spring and Takoma Park, two routes were in operation with 20 buses: the Blue and the Green. Within a few weeks, Ride-On was carrying twice the number of passengers projected: about 2,000 riders per day. The buses were nineteen passenger Grummans. ^{[citation needed]} Ride-On was the first major local bus operator to emerge in the DC Region following the formation of MetroBus in 1973.

Starting from 1979 to 1981, single front door TMC T-30 City Cruisers (5101-5256) entered service. These were part of a joint order with Frederick City TransIT, and shared the same paint livery. In the fall of 1984, as the Washington Metro's Red Line extension to Shady Grove station was complete, Ride On saw its largest route expansion to date. Numerous routes were added to accommodate passengers who would utilize the eight new Metrorail stations along the western portion of Montgomery County.

2000s

In 2000, Ride On buses were painted in a special livery to commemorate Ride On's 25th anniversary.^[6]

On September 11, 2001, Ride On buses were used to transport Montgomery County firefighters to The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia to assist in search and rescue operations following the terrorist attacks that occurred on that day.^[7][8]

In 2006, Ride On began accepting SmarTrip cards and in August of that year, all the Ride On buses started getting equipped with fareboxes.^[9]

2010s

On May 20, 2011, a Ride On bus crashed into a KFC restaurant in Glenmont around 7:30 AM. Authorities believed the driver passed out while making a left turn onto Georgia Avenue and lost control of the bus due to having a heart attack. There were three passengers on the bus; the driver and one of the passengers were taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. The only occupant in the building of the crash was not injured, and the building suffered with minor damage.^[10][11][12]

Ride On celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015 with three buses wrapped in the transit agency's 40th anniversary ad.^[13]

MCDOT Ride On received a $4.365 million grant from the federal transit administration to replace diesel buses with 10 new battery electric buses on October 1, 2018.^[14]

In 2017, Ride-On Extra Route 101, a new Peak-Hour limited stop service, was launched with service between Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg and Medical Center Metro in Bethesda. The new route provided a faster alternative to the existing Routes 46 and 55, stopping at 13 stops and running every 10-15 minutes.

In 2019, Ride-On introduced their first fleet of Electric Buses, those being Proterra Catalyst BE-35s. Four Buses were ordered, all operating out of the Silver Spring garage.

2020s

In March 2020, Ride On significantly altered bus service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[15] Many routes were completely suspended with other routes having significantly reduced service.^[16] Fare collection was also suspended until July 2022.^[17]

Also in 2020, the first two lines of the FLASH BRT were launched along U.S. 29 between Briggs Chaney and Silver Spring, with peak hour service continuing to Burtonsville. FLASH is the second BRT system to be launched in the DC Region, after WMATA's MetroWay in Virginia.

In July 2023, Ride On launched their official mobile app, Ride On Trip Planner, created in partnership with Moovit. The app provides trip planning tools and realtime arrival information for Ride On buses.^[18]

Also in 2023, Ride On debuted the Gillig Low-Floor Plus EV, with 10 units entering service in Silver Spring. More units would be ordered in subsequent years to begin Ride-On's Transition to fully Zero-Emissions by 2035 and replace older buses, including the Gillig Hybrids numbered in the 5300-Range.

On December 27, 2023, a Ride On bus crashed into a house in Silver Spring around 7:30 PM. The driver reportedly lost control of the bus while entering a roundabout, hit a parked car, and collided with the side of the house. There were no passengers on the bus, and the house was not occupied at the time. The exact cause is still unknown, but there were no reported injuries, and no charges were filed against the bus driver.^[19][20] It was later discovered that the same bus had previously been involved in a major crash on May 20, 2011.^[21] The bus was removed from service following the second incident.

In September 2024, the first phase of the Great Seneca Transit Network (GSTN) was launched, with 2 new Ride-On Extra Routes being added to serve the Life-Sciences region and the Universities at Shady Grove. The Pink and Lime Routes run frequent service all-day and also provide weekend service.

Ride On celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025 with three buses featuring a commemorative 50th anniversary wrap.^[22]

On June 29, 2025, Ride On launched its first phase of "Ride On Reimagined", a transit master plan. Most of the changes in this phase were made to complement WMATA's systemwide Better Bus Network Redesign which took effect on the same day. Route 10 was eliminated and replaced by MetroBus, Route 40 replaced MetroBus service along Veirs Mill Road, and several other routes saw routing or operational changes. Ride On also eliminated all fares on all of its transit services beginning the same day, becoming the 4th operator in the DC Region to go fare-free, after DASH, CUE and TheBus.^[23] Fare-boxes have been progressively removed from the bus fleet as a result of the fare-free service.

On February 2, 2026 Ride On launched its second Flex Zone route the 918, which serves areas like White Oak, Sandy Spring, New Hampshire Avenue in part of a zone expansion. ^[24] the Ride On Flex Zone 918 also restored transit access for most neighborhoods previously served by the MetroBus Z2 , Colesville–Ashton Line prior to lanuch of the BetterBus Network on June 29, 2025.

Local Service Routes

Flash BRT & Great Seneca Transit Network

These high-frequency corridors utilize dedicated lanes and "Transit Signal Priority" to bypass congestion.

Former routes

These routes have been served by Ride On at one point, but have since been discontinued due to either low ridership, duplication of another route, simplification to other routes, or combined into another route. However, some routes would be reincarnated into new routes for Ride On.

Metrobus routes

Additionally, Ride On ran three weekend-routes that were served by WMATA Metrobus on weekdays. All routes were discontinued due to WMATA's Better Bus Redesign network, unless noted.^[41]

Ride On extRa

Ride On extRa is a limited stop bus service to complement major local bus routes by following similar routing but making fewer stops to help speed up travel time.^[45] These routes may also run more frequent service than local routes in the same corridor, but may only run at certain times of the day. The service began on October 2, 2017 on route 101. As of November 2025, the service consists of three routes servicing two transit corridors. Ride On extRa utilizes a dedicated fleet of diesel and battery electric buses with upgraded passenger amenities such as digital interior signage and USB-A charging ports.

Route 101 began service on October 2, 2017, complementing routes 55 and 46 along Maryland Route 355, serving 13 stops from Medical Center Station in Bethesda to Lakeforest Transit Center in Gaithersburg. The route operates every 10-20 minutes in both directions with service during weekday peak hours only.^[46]

The Great Seneca Transit BRT Network began service on September 8, 2024 with the first phase consisting of two routes, Pink and Lime, with another two routes planned for the second phase. The Pink and Lime routes both start at Shady Grove station and end outside The Universities at Shady Grove campus, but follow different routing to provide service to the Great Seneca Life Sciences Complex and various neighborhoods and business districts in Gaithersburg.^[47] Both routes operate 7 days a week with service running every 10-15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends.

Ride On Flex

Ride On Flex is an on-demand bus service that began serving Montgomery County on June 26, 2019, and runs in and around Rockville, Glenmont, Wheaton, and also White Oak, Sandy Spring as of February 2026. using 11-passenger cutaway buses.^[48][49] Passengers are able to request a bus using an app. The new service never charged a higher fare, and accepted the same payment methods as standard Ride On buses with no onboard fare loading allowed.^[50] The buses used for this service are the 2019 Ford cutaway Starlite Transit buses manufactured by Starcraft (41000D-41006D).

Flash BRT

Flash is a bus rapid transit network that began service on October 14, 2020.^{[51][52][53][54]} The first route operates between Silver Spring Metro station and Burtonsville Park & Ride along U.S. Route 29^[55] (route is planned to get extended to the mall at Columbia Transit Center^[56]). The second route operates between Silver Spring Metro station and Briggs Chaney Park and Ride along U.S. Route 29. Future routes are in development throughout Montgomery County.^[56][55][57]

Flash has dedicated bus stops with prepayment machines and operates in a mix of traffic and dedicated lanes using articulated buses equipped with level boarding, onboard bike racks, an automatic wheelchair securement system, digital interior signage, a pedestrian sensor, a free Wi-Fi hotspot, and USB-A charging ports.^[58] Flash utilizes a dedicated fleet of mostly articulated buses as well as some standard buses. Hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric buses are under consideration.

Active fleet

More information Image, Year Built ...

Image	Year Built	Vehicle Model	Fuel	Engine	Transmission	Fleet Numbers	Notes	Assignments
	2008	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft	Diesel	Cummins ISL EPA 2007	Allison World B400R6	5726-5746 (21 Buses) (16 Still in Service)	Feature Bonded Side Glazing All units originally withdrawn in 2022, however 5737, 5744 and 5746 were wrapped in the FLASH livery and re-entered service in 2023. 5729 and 5731 Retired due to accident damage.[65][66] 5726, 5728, 5730, 5732-5736, 5738/5739, 5742/5743 and 5745 are used as FLASH reserve units, with bike racks removed and FLASH decals applied. 5732 was wrapped in 40th Anniversary livery in 2015. Last buses to be delivered in the 2nd-Gen Blue and White Livery.	Gaithersburg
	2009	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft	Diesel	Cummins ISL EPA 2007	Allison World B400R6	5747-5757 (11 Buses) (9 Still in Service)	First Buses to be delivered in the 3rd Gen Blue, Green and Yellow livery. 5751 and 5753 are used to train bus operators. 5752 and 5757 were retired in 2021 and were used as spare parts donors.	Gaithersburg
	2009	Gillig Low-Floor 29ft	Diesel	Cummins ISL EPA 2007	Allison World B400R6	5007-5031 (25 Buses) (2 Still in Service)	All units originally withdrawn in 2020, however 5 units (5008, 5011, 5017, 5025 and 5027) were returned to service in 2022 due to Route 27 being launched. 5008 has been retired after crashing into a house in Silver Spring in 2023. It was previously involved in another accident in 2011 where it crashed into a KFC in Glenmont.[67][19][20] Only 5027 and 5025 remain in service.	Silver Spring
	2012	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft Hybrid	Hybrid	Cummins ISB6.7 EPA 2010	Allison EP40 Hybrid System	5361-5367 (7 Buses) (4 Still in Service)	Last order of Hybrid buses for Ride-On. 5363, 5364, and 5366/5367 remain in service, 5361/5362 and 5365 retired.	Silver Spring
	2013	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft	Diesel	Cummins ISL9 EPA 2013	Allison World B400R6	5759-5770 (12 Buses)		Gaithersburg (5762-5768), Silver Spring (5759-5761,5769-5770)
	2013	Gillig Low-Floor 29ft	Diesel	Cummins ISL9 EPA 2013	Allison World B400R6	5032-5059 (28 Buses)	All units have been repainted into the 2019-Present 4th Gen Livery.	Nicholson
	2014	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft CNG	CNG	Cummins-Westport ISL-G EPA 2013	Allison World B400R6	5837-5855 (19 Buses) (18 Still in Service)	5840 was retired after colliding with a truck in 2016.[68] 5855 is used as a training bus. First Gillig CNG buses to be delivered to Ride-On. 5843 has a Cummins-Westport L9N EPA 2024 Engine.	Gaithersburg
	2014	Gillig Low-Floor 29ft	Diesel	Cummins ISL9 EPA 2013	Allison World B400R6	5060-5091 (32 Buses) (30 Still in Service)	Some units have been repainted into the 2019-Present 4th Gen Livery. 5091 has been retired due to fire damage. 5072 was damaged in an accident and retired.	Nicholson (5060-5068), Silver Spring (5069-5090)
	2016	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft	Diesel	Cummins ISL9 EPA 2013	Allison World B400R6	44000D-44039D (40 Buses)		Silver Spring (44000D-44024D), Gaithersburg (44025D-44039D)
	2016	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft CNG	CNG	Cummins-Westport ISL-G EPA 2013	Allison World B400R6	44040C-44056C (17 Buses)		Gaithersburg
	2016	Gillig Low-Floor 29ft	Diesel	Cummins ISL9 EPA 2013	Allison World B400R6	42000D (1 Bus)		Silver Spring
	2017	Gillig BRT Plus 40ft	Diesel	Cummins L9 EPA 2017	Allison World B400R6	44057D-44072D (16 Buses)	All units wrapped in Ride On extRa livery and feature USB charging ports and digital signage.	Gaithersburg
	2017	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft	Diesel	Cummins L9 EPA 2017	Allison World B400R6	44073D-44080D (8 Buses)		Gaithersburg
	2017-2018	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft CNG	CNG	Cummins-Westport L9N EPA 2017	Allison World B400R6	44081C-44118C (38 Buses)	44081C-4114C are 2017 models, 44115C-44118C are 2018 models. 44118C is used as a Training Bus.	Gaithersburg
	2019	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft CNG	CNG	Cummins-Westport L9N EPA 2017	Allison World B400R6	44119C-44141C (23 Buses)	Last Order of CNG Buses for Ride-On, and the first buses to use the 4th Gen Livery. 44129C-44139C wrapped with Ride-On extRa livery in 2024.	Gaithersburg
	2019	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft	Diesel	Cummins L9 EPA 2017	Allison World B400R6	44142D-44144D (3 Buses)		Gaithersburg
	2019	Proterra Catalyst BE-35	Electric	UQM??	Direct-Drive	43000E-43003E (4 Buses) (2 Still in Service)	First Electric buses for Ride-On. Rarely used since 2024 due to Proterra's Bankruptcy, and delivery of newer Gilligs. 43000E and 43001E Retired.	Silver Spring
	2020	Gillig Low-Floor 40ft	Diesel	Cummins L9 EPA 2020	Allison World B400R6	44145D-44153D (9 Buses)		Silver Spring
	2020-2021	Gillig Low-Floor 29ft	Diesel	Cummins L9 EPA 2020/2021	Allison World B400R6	42001D-42039D (39 Buses)	Last Order of Clean-Diesel buses for Ride-On. 2026D is often wrapped in special commemorative wraps for Veteran's Day and Pride Month.	Nicholson (42001D-42022D), Silver Spring (42023D-42025D, 42037D-42039D), Gaithersburg (42026D-42036D)
	2019-2020	NovaBus LFS (A) Articulated	Diesel	Cummins L9 330HP EPA 2020	Allison World B500R6	46000D-46015D (16 Buses)	Used for the FLASH BRT service. Third Operator of Articulated buses in the DMV after WMATA and DASH.[69] Only NovaBus vehicles delivered to Ride-On.	Gaithersburg
	2022	Gillig Low-Floor Plus 40ft EV	Electric	Cummins BES	Direct-Drive	44154E-44163E (10 Buses)	First 40 foot electric buses for Ride On. Feature USB-A charging ports, and pedestrian warning system. First Gillig EVs to enter service in the DC Region.	Silver Spring
	2024	Gillig Low-Floor Plus 40ft EV	Electric	Cummins BES	Direct-Drive	44164E-44175E (12 Buses)	44165E is painted in the Ride-On Extra livery. Features USB-A and USB-C charing ports, Larger rear doors, and vinyl seat upholstery.[70]	Gaithersburg (44165E), Silver Spring (44164E, 44166E-44175E)
	2025	Gillig Low-Floor Plus 40ft EV	Electric	Cummins BES	Direct-Drive	44176E-44236E (61 Buses)	44225E-44236E are painted in the Ride-On Extra livery. Units currently being delivered.	Silver Spring (44176E-44224E), Gaithersburg (44225E-44236E)

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Active Cutaway Buses

More information Image, Year ...

Image	Year	Vehicle Model	Fuel	Engine	Transmission	Fleet Numbers	Notes
	2016	Ford E-450/Starcraft Allstar	Gasoline	Ford Triton V10 6.8L	Ford 6-Speed Automatic	59-61 (3 Buses) (2 Still in Service)	Used for Route 301 only. Operations contracted to the Jewish Council for Aging (JCA). 60 has been retired. This bus had the 2019-Present 4th Gen Livery. 59 is painted white with Ride-On logos applied, 61 has the 2009-2019 3rd Gen Livery.
	2019	Ford Transit 350HD/Starcraft Starlite	Gasoline	Ford Powerstroke I-5 3.2L	Ford 6-Speed Automatic	1000D-1006D (7 Buses)	Used for the on-demand Flex Service. Operated by external contractor.

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On order

Retired fleet

More information Year built, Manufacturer ...

Year built	Manufacturer	Model	Fleet Numbers	Engine	Transmission	Year retired	Image	Notes
1979–1981	Transportation Manufacturing Corporation	T-30 CityCruiser 30ft	5101-5256	Caterpillar 3126	Allison MT-740	1996–1998		Joint order with Frederick TransIT. Select units rebuilt by Midwest Bus and National Coach Works in 1990. Originally had Detroit Diesel engines, were re-powered to Caterpillar Engines.
1984	Bus Industries of America	Orion I (01.502)	5257-5297	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison MT-643	2002		5267 was used to transport Montgomery County firemen to the Pentagon in Virginia to assist in search and rescue operations after the attacks which were on September 11, 2001, and was renumbered to 27.
1990–1992			5500-5545	Detroit Diesel 6V92TA	Allison HTB-748	2010		5520 was retired due to damage from an accident.
1988–1989	Gillig	Phantom 30ft(3096TB3208)	5300-5356	Cummins C8.3	Allison MT-647	2004-2006		Ride On's last buses without wheelchair lifts The only order of transit style Gillig Phantoms with CAT 3208T engines. Re-powered to Cummins C8.3 Engines in the 1990's.
1993	Flxible	Metro D	5700-5703	Cummins C8.3G	Allison??	2008		Ex-Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) buses, acquired in 1995. Originally numbered 9301-9304 Originally ran on LNG fuel. Assigned to the Gaithersburg garage and often ran on the Route 70 Express. Had more seats than any other Ride On bus models
1994–1997	Gillig	Phantom 35ft	5360-5409	Detroit Diesel Series 50	Voith DIWA D863.3	2013		First Ride-On buses to use Voith Transmission.
1999			5410-5423	Cummins ISM EPA 1998	Allison World B400R5	2015
1993	Bus Industries of America	Orion V (05.504)	5546-5547	Detroit Diesel 6V92TA	Allison HTB-748	2009		5547 was retired due to fire damage.
1995	Orion Bus Industries	Orion VI CNG (06.501)	5801-5802	Cummins L10G EPA 1995	Allison World B400R4	2005		Ex-Orion demos, acquired circa 1997. 5801 previously demoed for London Transit as 10. 5802 previously demoed for Toronto Transit Commission as 2000. Never were used often in service. Originally numbered 5570-5571 when acquired by Ride-On
1996		Orion V CNG (05.503)	5997-5999	Cummins L10G EPA 1995	ZF Ecomat HP590	2009		Originally numbered 5567–5569 First of two Ride-On orders to use ZF Transmission.
		Orion V (05.503)	5550-5566	Cummins M11 EPA 1995	Voith DIWA D863.3	2011
1998			5572-5579	Cummins M11E EPA 1998	Voith DIWA D863.3	2012		5574 was used to train bus operators.
1999		Orion V (05.501)	5705-5725	Detroit Diesel Series 50	Voith DIWA D864.3	2014–2016		5707 was retired due to damage from an accident. 5714 was used to train bus operators. 5715 was brought back from retirement in 2016 to operate on the Red Line Shuttle between Silver Spring and Fort Totten Metro stations.
1999–2000		Orion V CNG (05.501)	5803-5821	Detroit Diesel Series 50G	Voith DIWA D864.3	2014
1999		Orion V (05.505)	5100-5129	Detroit Diesel Series 50	Allison World B400R5	2014		Ex-WMATA buses, purchased in 2012 due to the withdrawal of the Champion Cutaways.
2001–2002		Orion V (05.504)	5580-5623	Detroit Diesel Series 50	Voith DIWA D864.3	2016–2017		5593 was wrapped in Ride On's 40th anniversary paint scheme in 2015. 5612 was sold to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue as 727A. 5613 is currently being used as a storage unit in Capitol Heights, Maryland.
2003	DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses	Orion VII CNG (07.502) (semi-low floor)	5900-5917	Detroit Diesel Series 50G	Voith DIWA D864.3E	2017
2004			5918-5932	Cummins-Westport C-Gas Plus EPA 2004	Voith DIWA D864.3E	2017–2019		Last Ride-On order to use Voith Transmission.
2005			5933-5957	Cummins-Westport C-Gas Plus EPA 2004	ZF Ecomat 5HP592C	2019		5933 and 5934 were used to train operators. 5944 and 5948 were retired due to damages from accidents. Last Orion buses in service with Ride-On and the second order of buses with ZF Transmission.
	New Flyer Industries	C40LF	5822–5836	Cummins-Westport C-Gas Plus EPA 2004	Allison World B400R6	2020		5822 was previously used to train bus operators. Originally sidelined in March 2020 due to rear door issues and later retired in September of the year due to service changes. The first and currently only New Flyer buses ever ordered by Ride-On.
2006–2007	Gillig	Low Floor	5300–5313	Cummins ISB EPA 2004	Allison EP40 Hybrid System			Renumbered from 5750-5763 due to the arrival of the 2009 Gillig 40-foot (12 m) diesel and hybrid buses (5747-5757 and 5314-5348) 5312 was retired after sustaining damage from a fire. 5301 and 5313 were used for operator training. First Gillig Low-Floors in the fleet.
2008			5001-5006	Cummins ISL EPA 2007	Allison World B400R6	2020–2021		5001 and 5003 were previously used to train bus operators.
2009			5314-5348	Cummins ISB EPA 2007	Allison EP40 Hybrid System	2024–2025		5314 was originally numbered 5349. 5329 and 5348 were retired due to damage from accidents, with 5329 being hit head-on by a WMATA XD40 (4506).[73] Replaced by the 2025 Gillig Low Floor Plus 40ft EVs (4176E-4236E) in November 2025.
2011			5349-5360	Cummins ISB6.7 EPA 2010	Allison EP40 Hybrid System	2025-2026		Replaced by the 2025 Gillig Low Floor Plus 40ft EVs (4176E-4236E) through November 2025 and January 2026.
			5758 (1 Bus)	Cummins ISL9 EPA 2010	Allison World B400R6	2026		Replaced by the 2025 Gillig Low Floor Plus 40ft EVs (4176E-4236E) in January 2026.
2001–2002	ElDorado National	Aero Elites	5101-5181	TBA	TBA	2009		Originally contracted to outside firms until the late 2000s. Replaced by the 2009 Gillig 29-foot (8.8 m) diesel buses (5007-5031)
2003-2004	IC Corporation/Mid Bus	3200/Bodied Cutaway	5232-5246	International DT 466	Allison 2000	2013		Ex-Pittsburgh's Port Authority of Allegheny County, acquired in 2012 to replace the 2007 Champion Cutaways. Originally numbered 8638-8652 Replaced by the 2013 Gillig 29-foot (8.8 m) diesel buses (5032-5059)
2001	Ford/StarTrans Bus	E450 Cutaway 23ft	5201-5212	???	???	2006-2007		Replaced by the 2006-2007 Gillig 40-foot (12 m) hybrid buses (5300-5313)
2007	GMC/Champion	C5500/Defender 35ft	5182–5231, 5285-5296	GMC 8.1L	Allison 2000	2012		Seven different fires occurred on all of these buses between 2009 and 2012.[74][75] All of these buses retired on July 18, 2012, following the seventh fire.[76][77] Replaced by 1999 Orion Vs acquired from WMATA.

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