Central Maryland Regional Transit (CMRT) and the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) have opened a new call center and unveiled a new web site, www.MDTRIP.org, that serves as a one-stop resource for transit in the Baltimore region.
The site provides customers, human services agencies and partner organizations with information on a wide range of transit services. In addition, MDTRIP provides a hotline — 1-877-331-TRIP — for immediate assistance.
By entering starting and ending locations into a trip planner, commuters will be able to view timetables for all the scheduled transit options available, including an estimated time of arrival based on their transportation preferences.
MDTRIP is the first of its kind in the Baltimore-Washington region and one of few one-stop transit web sites in the nation.
From its launch date on April 21, MDTRIP has attracted an increasing number of site visitors, and now averages 1,600 page views per day, said Michael Owino, TRIP mobility manager.
MDTRIP’s content is based on assessments of the transportation needs, issues and constraints of the general public, as well as older adults, people with disabilities and people with lower incomes. CMRT and MTA conducted these assessments using federal funds from the Job Access and Reverse Commute program.
The MDTRIP.org web site offers a variety of informatioin for the region’s commuters.
Getting the Word Out
Now that MDTRIP is up and running, the BWI Business Partnership will be a key player in letting people know about the new resource, said Owino.
“The BWI Business Partnership has a big voice in the business community. As a partner in MDTRIP and other transportation-related efforts, they have a very effective outreach.”
Linda Greene, executive director of the BWI Business Partnership, said that her support for MDTRIP goes back to the very first conversations about the idea.
“We all thought that, with all the different transit systems around here, it would be so much easier to have a one-stop information source that ties them all together. At that time, I worked in an Anne Arundel County office and I saw a Howard County bus parked in front of the building and wondered why. If MDTRIP had been operating then, I would have easily found out that those buses ran between the two counties.”
The BWI Business Partnership will be distributing information about MDTRIP at its signature breakfast events and other programs. “We want to introduce this product to people we work with regularly: our members, workforce agencies, people looking for jobs, major employers and others,” said Greene.
From Concept to Product
By logging onto MDTRIP, commuters can choose between rail, bus, shuttle, para-transit, taxi and other modes of transportation that run between seven counties, as well as Baltimore, Annapolis and the District of Columbia. After selecting their preferred location and preferred method of paying for transit, MDTRIP provides a listing of all transit providers that fit those criteria.
Commuters can also view real-time arrival and departure estimates on selected modes of transit. Schedules, maps and fares of all of the transit agencies participating in the TRIP membership program are also available via a click.
Another section of the site details transportation options for people with disabilities, including buses and trains equipped with wheelchair lifts or low floor ramps to allow easy access for people with disabilities, or priority seating for those who need to sit closer to an exit.
While marketing efforts thus far have been low key as the site’s initial minor glitches were worked out, commuters and employers alike can expect to hear more about MDTRIP in the near future, said John Powell, CEO of CMRT.
Like Greene, Powell said he recalls when conversations about MDTRIP were first taking off.
“MDTRIP was just a concept two years ago,” he said. “We’ve come a long way.”
