OCEAN CITY, Md. - Ocean City is preparing to increase its bus fleet for Oceans Calling this weekend as the town deals with fewer drivers, lower bus deployment, and a decline in ridership.
The town of Ocean City said it lost five bus drivers in July and August, leaving it with 50 seasonal drivers and 11 full-time drivers. As a result, the town has seen its lowest bus deployment since after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lower deployment has come alongside a decline in ridership. The town had projected ridership would increase 7% this year, but instead it is down roughly 14% for the year.
Despite the decline, the town said it has received multiple complaints about buses being too full, raising concerns about accessibility. As a result, some in Ocean City have opted to drive or walk instead of taking the bus.
But for others in Ocean City, the bus system is crucial to getting around town.
“Using the bus to and from I save a lot of money,” says Sean Foner, who frequently takes the bus because of a vision impairment.
Foner tells CoastTV he has few complaints about using the bus, even during busy weekends, although crowds can lead to longer waits later in the day.
“In the mornings usually pretty vacant but towards the afternoon as the festival moves on towards the bigger acts, yes it does take some time to get to and from,” Foner says. “Because theres a ton, you know, there could be 30 of us standing here.”
With Oceans Calling, one of the town’s biggest music festivals, coming this weekend, Ocean City has a plan to increase the number of buses on the road.
The town normally operates a fleet of roughly 35 buses during busy weekends. That number will be closer to 50 after the event’s promoter said it would supply 20 buses during and after the headliner sets.
With those big crowds heading to Ocean City this weekend, the question is whether there will be enough buses to move them.
