ICC bus at Gaithersburg P&R

[WMAveteran]

I was at the Gaithersburg P&R on 3/1/2011 and took photographs of MTA D4500 (170C)  preparing to operate the 1:00 PM ICC express service to BWI/Marshall airport.  This is the first day of service on this route and although the service is free to the public for the first two weeks, there were no passengers on the bus at this time.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

Thanks for posting.  How much space is there for luggage on these buses?

[WMAveteran]

There is substantial under-floor space for luggage that will not fit in the inside overhead bins.  The under-floor space is accessed through the side doors under the windows just like intercity coaches.  When MTA advertised the service I read that drivers will assist with storing and retrieving luggage from the under-floor space.   Here is another photograph also. You can see the handles for under-floor luggage access on the side under the"with ease" words on the wrap. 

[WayneNYC]

I saw 170C this afternoon at Shady Grove.  I also saw a 202 pass through.  This just hit me:  The #201 fare will be less than the B30.

[Scrabbleship]

The 201 vs. B30 fares proves two things: MTA fares are too low and WMATA hiked B30 fares way too high for a quick hit.

Would the two routes ever really be in competition? It's a hike and a half from the west side of the Red Line to get to the B30 (or even to get to Union Station) and the park-and-ride-heavy nature of the route minus Shady Grove means tons of people who would never give the B30 a thought would be turning to transit. Even from Norbeck Road, it's a bit of a hike to get to the B30 (Y's->C2 or Y's->Red->Green).

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

direct bus trip from near my house to BWI for less $ than the B30. I am so gonna love this.

[WayneNYC]

The 201 vs. B30 fares proves two things: MTA fares are too low and WMATA hiked B30 fares way too high for a quick hit.

Would the two routes ever really be in competition? It's a hike and a half from the west side of the Red Line to get to the B30 (or even to get to Union Station) and the park-and-ride-heavy nature of the route minus Shady Grove means tons of people who would never give the B30 a thought would be turning to transit. Even from Norbeck Road, it's a bit of a hike to get to the B30 (Y's->C2 or Y's->Red->Green).

I think of the #201 as another option and not necessarily a competitor.  I have nothing against the B30, but unless you're in that part of town (or on the Grren line), it can be quite a trek for lots of people in other areas.  I personally am very happy about the 201 since the Gaithersburg P&R is nearly at my doorstep.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

I agree with Wayne.  To get between BWI and Bethesda, the 201 to the Red Line is far easier and assuming the route uses more of the ICC once the road is completed, going to be faster than taking the Red Line to the Green Line to the B30.  The B30 is easy to get to if you live along the Green Line or if you come off another line, you aren't going very out of your way to get to it (i.e. from Capitol South).  BWI is not my airport of choice (DCA is my first choice, then IAD) for a variety of reasons, but the 201 just made me far more willing to consider flying out of BWI for destinations served by Southwest than I used to be.  I'm not sure how long Supershuttle takes to get to Bethesda or how much it costs, but a cab from BWI costs about $100.  Getting someone to pick me up out there is also a challenge.  Being picked up at Shady Grove or Greenbelt is a reasonable compromise between the two.

Jason, can you please explain how this "proves" that WMATA is charging too much for the B30?  If I lived in Dupont, Columbia Heights, or Adams Morgan and wanted to get to BWI, I'd consider a trip taking just over an hour on transit costing less than 10 dollars to be a great deal, compared to the other options.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

There is substantial under-floor space for luggage that will not fit in the inside overhead bins.  The under-floor space is accessed through the side doors under the windows just like intercity coaches.  When MTA advertised the service I read that drivers will assist with storing and retrieving luggage from the under-floor space.   Here is another photograph also. You can see the handles for under-floor luggage access on the side under the"with ease" words on the wrap. 

This is interesting.  I thought they don't usually allow drivers to help out of liability concerns.  Also, am I right in thinking that the compartments on NJT's OTR coaches are locked for security purposes?

[Scrabbleship]

I agree with Wayne.  To get between BWI and Bethesda, the 201 to the Red Line is far easier and assuming the route uses more of the ICC once the road is completed, going to be faster than taking the Red Line to the Green Line to the B30.  The B30 is easy to get to if you live along the Green Line or if you come off another line, you aren't going very out of your way to get to it (i.e. from Capitol South).

This is subject to the law of diminishing returns. From anywhere east of Stadium-Armory, it involves a bit of backtracking. From anywhere along the Blue or Orange in Virginia, the trip to Greenbelt can be an ordeal. I once did a Metro->B30->Light Rail trip from East Falls Church to Camden Yards and it felt a lot longer than it seems on paper.

Jason, can you please explain how this "proves" that WMATA is charging too much for the B30?  If I lived in Dupont, Columbia Heights, or Adams Morgan and wanted to get to BWI, I'd consider a trip taking just over an hour on transit costing less than 10 dollars to be a great deal, compared to the other options.

Assuming a regular Smartrip (no bus pass loaded):
Dupont Circle to BWI: $10.15/$9.95 peak, $8.25 off-peak via B30. $8.15/$7.95 peak, $7.60 off-peak via MARC.
Columbia Heights to BWI: $9.45/$9.25 peak, $7.65 off-peak via B30. $8.15/$7.95 peak, $7.60 off-peak via MARC.
Woodley Park (i/l/o Adams Morgan) to BWI: $10.30/$10.10 peak, $8.25 off-peak via B30. $8.30/$8.10 peak, $7.60 off-peak via MARC.

Though WMATA could've been a bit more gradual than nearly doubling the B30 (and 5A) fare, if anything this proves that MTA fares may be a bit too low in all honesty. I know there are theories that the O'Malley administration allegedly has not allowed for MARC/commuter bus fare hikes, even cutting service when both MARC riders and bus riders WANTED fare hikes, but this says a lot.

For the sake of round numbers and for tourists, the B30/5A should've been a nice, even $5.

This is interesting.  I thought they don't usually allow drivers to help out of liability concerns.  Also, am I right in thinking that the compartments on NJT's OTR coaches are locked for security purposes?

I always thought in many cases it was the exact opposite. Back when I was in college, I was screamed at by an Adirondack Trailways driver for daring to unload my own luggage since he insisted he had to take care of it.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

Jason, your analysis is wonderful, but it doesn't take into account the time involved to travel on each of those options or how one might value his or her time, so I remain unconvinced that the B30 is overpriced.  Also, I'm not so sure I'd make a huge deal out of price differences.  As a percentage of the entire cost of wherever it is you are traveling to, these differentials don't amount to much.  For example, where the difference is 30 cents, the difference amounts to about 0.046% of a one way ticket price (based on round trip purchase) of what I expect to pay when I travel between the US and Israel.  For those 3 dollar differentials, it amounts to less than half of one percent of the total cost.  I'm not going to sweat that amount of money, I'm not sure others would either, especially if they value their time in some way and can gain in other ways as a result of how they value that.  To be honest, depending on the circumstances of how much luggage I have, time of day, how quickly I need to get to my destination, I'd be willing to pay about 40-60 dollars for a taxi from BWI to my place (BWI is only slightly further from my house than IAD) since the drive from BWI to Bethesda is about 45 minutes and doing it by transit is at least double that, but I'm not willing to pay 100 dollars for a taxi. 

[79MetroExtraMD]

I was at the Gaithersburg P&R on 3/1/2011 and took photographs of MTA D4500 (170C)  preparing to operate the 1:00 PM ICC express service to BWI/Marshall airport.  This is the first day of service on this route and although the service is free to the public for the first two weeks, there were no passengers on the bus at this time.

Nice pics. I'm planning on taking the 201 on a Sunday at some point  before I head to Boston just to get a feel for the route. I've been waiting for this route to debut for nearly a year.

[WMAveteran]

 

I was at the Gaithersburg P&R on 3/1/2011 and took photographs of MTA D4500 (170C)  preparing to operate the 1:00 PM ICC express service to BWI/Marshall airport.  This is the first day of service on this route and although the service is free to the public for the first two weeks, there were no passengers on the bus at this time.

Nice pics. I'm planning on taking the 201 on a Sunday at some point  before I head to Boston just to get a feel for the route. I've been waiting for this route to debut for nearly a year.

Me too!  I plan to make a round-trip (or a "return" as the English say) on Friday all the way to the BWI MARC station. 

[Tritransit Area]

Re: The B30 fares, I think they are a bit high, especialy for such an extreme jump.  OK, 6 dollars isn't bad for tourists, but what about the workers at the airport?  Even though SEPTA charges about $9 cash for the Airport Line from PHL to Center City (at least, I think that's the price now - it's a zone 6 fare), daily workers can get down there for the cost of a transpass, the cheapest Monthly/Weekly pass offered by SEPTA.

Of course, the City of Philadelphia may be subsidizing the Airport Line so that those passes would be accepted...does the B30 get a special subsidy?

It is great, though, that the 201 is providing a well needed link from the Northern Part of Montgomery County to the airport.  Does the line serve Shady Grove yet?

[WayneNYC]

I'm not so sure the $6 fare for the B30 (and 5A) are too high.  I admit that the near 100% fare hike seems to be harsh, but I defnitely feel the $6 fare is not too expensive.  I especially feel it's fair considering how much one could pay for a max metrorail trip.  I agree that commuters should have a pass available to reduce the cost.

The 201 (and 202) are serving the Shade Grove station.  They serve the east side of the Metro station as the enter from I-370 and MD 200 (The ICC).