Rapid bus service is in the works for the North Bethesda area, and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) wants to hear from the community about its plans.
Flash, a bus rapid transit service that is part of MCDOT’s RideOn bus system, is designed to offer higher-capacity and higher-frequency travel across the county. Currently, the service operates one line along U.S. 29, running from the Silver Spring Transit Center in downtown Silver Spring to Burtonsville. Two additional routes, one along state Route MD 355, and one along Veirs Mill Road, are currently in the design and development stages.
The North Bethesda route is among six planned routes that have yet to be developed. The full design plan for Flash service would include more than 100 stops throughout the county.
A public meeting on the North Bethesda proposal will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the cafeteria at Walter Johnson High School 6400 Rock Spring Drive in Bethesda. The open house will include a presentation on the planned route design and opportunities for community input.
Planning for the North Bethesda route began in 2021. MCDOT is currently developing a planning study to fine-tune the route options, which include proposed alternative stops, and implement community feedback.
The current planned route includes 17 stops with a potential additional connection add-on to Adventist Healthcare White Oak Medical Center in Silver Spring.
The proposed route starts at the Westfield Montgomery Mall Transit Center in Bethesda and ends at Tech Road in Silver Spring, with notable stops at Charles W. Woodward High School, Pike & Rose neighborhood and shopping center and the North Bethesda Metro station. The proposal also includes connecting stops to the existing U.S. 29 Flash route and would include connections to the planned MD 355, Veirs Mill Road, Georgia and Connecticut avenues lines.
Various versions of the North Bethesda plan have been in the works for decades. The county’s 1992 North Bethesda/Garrett Park Master Plan first recommended the creation of a high-capacity and high-quality transit connection from the Westfield Montgomery Mall through the Rock Spring office park to the Metro Red Line station at North Bethesda.
In 2013, the North Bethesda corridor was identified as part of the county’s 2013 Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan as a location for bus rapid transit.
Flash rapid transit and all MCDOT bus service will be fare free as of July 1. County Executive Marc Elrich (D) and the County Council decided to eliminate bus fares during deliberations over the county’s $7.6 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1.
