A depot for county buses in Silver Spring is irksome to some neighbors and may be violating the county's own rules.
The constant hum of Ride On buses idling—powered on, but not driving anywhere—is just plain annoying to some of the Silver Spring residents who live near the county's vehicle depot, a special report from WTOP claims. Furthermore, the buses may be idling too often and for too long, in violation of the county's own rules about minimizing bus idling that may emit noxious fumes. County rules say buses shouldn't be left on for more than three minutes. A reporter with WTOP took video and observed the buses routinely being left on for longer than the mandated time limit. (Watch the video, here.) Montgomery County officials responded to the report Thursday with a statement claiming that the buses have to be turned on for any number of …
The Montgomery County Council meets at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in Rockville.
The Montgomery County Council will introduce an amendment to the 2013-18 Capital Improvements Program budget seeking $13.895 million for the purchase of 32 new buses for Ride On. Recommended by County Executive Ike Leggett, the project will "fund the replacement of 32 Champion buses which have had fire safety problems." A public hearing and action on the funding is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12. Background information can be viewed on the Montgomery County website. The county will also receive its first winter update from the state's Office of Intergovernmental Relations. Topics of discussion for the 12:30 p.m. meeting include: Related story: Faster Sewage Leak Cleanup, More Water Testing On State Agenda (Jan. 7, 2013) The …
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Twenty six Ride On buses were taken out of commission in July.
Update 1:25 p.m.: What was reported as a Ride On bus fire in Takoma Park was actually a false alarm, according to a Washington Post report. There was steam coming out of the bus and it was mistaken for smoke, according to the Post report. A tube inside the bus fell off, and as a result water leaked onto a hot part inside the bus. This caused steam to pour out. Original Story: A Montgomery County Ride On bus caught fire Wednesday night, according to a report on CBS. Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett ordered the 26 remaining Ride On "Champion" buses permanently removed from service in July after a bus caught fire near Bonifant Street and Ramsey Avenue in downtown Silver Spring. It was the second bus fire in July and the seventh in …
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Seventh bus fire since 2009 prompts replacement of 28 buses.
Although no one was injured in the July 18 fire that broke out on an out-of-service bus in Silver Spring, the incident was the seventh on a Ride On bus since September of 2009 and has spurred the county to replace a total of 28 buses, according to The Washington Post. While the county has already taken several Champion and Navistart buses off the road and had planned to remove those buses from its fleet by the end of August, the latest incident caused the county to accelerate those plans, according to the Post. The county has reportedly ordered 28 buses from the Gillig Company of Hayward, CA, for $12.3 million. The buses will not be delivered until early 2013, so the county has acquired 30 refurbished Metrobuses to bolster the depleted …
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Public hearing set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday evening.
The community can weigh in Tuesday evening at a public hearing before the Montgomery County Council on a proposal that would hike Ride On bus fares. The proposal also calls for charging for parking in Bethesda and Silver Spring on Saturdays and also raising parking fees in Bethesda, Silver Spring and Wheaton. The proposal, introduced by County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) in March as a part of his recommended operating budget, includes: Other changes that have not been formally proposed but may be on the table for public comment include charging Silver Spring parkers until 10 p.m. and raising the short and long-term parking rates in the Wheaton parking lot district from 50 cents an hour to 60 cents an hour, along with hiking a monthly pass …
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Ryan McDermott
5:04 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
No problem Steve. Thanks for alerting me to the original CBS link. more ›