OCEAN CITY, Md. – Bus ridership in Ocean City dropped 14.8 percent in January and February compared to last year, according to a recent report from the town’s Transportation Committee. Bus deployments were also down for the same period.
To address the decline and prepare for the upcoming summer season, the committee is ramping up efforts to recruit more drivers by attending job fairs and other hiring events.
“For some, it’s the only way they can get around,” said local resident Michael Shilling. “It gets so congested here at the beach. You could hardly find a parking spot. Jump on the bus, you get dropped off where you want to go. It’s amazing.”
However, officials are now evaluating whether all bus stops are necessary. The Ocean City Council recently met with the Transportation Committee to discuss a plan to identify underutilized stops.
“We’re going to be doing a study to look at whether there are bus stops that are basically not being used or very lightly used that we might be able to eliminate, which will then allow us to have a faster time up and down the highway,” City Manager Terry McGean said.
The Coastal Highway Beach Bus route currently has 125 stops, but 18 of them are under consideration for removal. Officials have not yet disclosed which stops are on the list, as they are gathering input from nearby property owners before making a decision.
Reducing stops could lead to shorter wait times for riders, but driver shortages remain another key issue. The town is actively working to address this challenge.
“We go to a number of job fairs. We’re always looking for unique ways that we can recruit,” McGean said.
Once recommendations from the stop usage study are finalized, the proposed removals will go before the Ocean City Council for a first reading at a future meeting.