How long are you willing to wait for your bus? An hour or two? No? Okay, then how much are you willing to pay for an Uber? 10 dollars, maybe 25? No? Well then, how are you going to get to school? The might be the question of the decade, and possibly the next few, for students in Baltimore City. 

Unless you can drive to school, you are probably going to get stuck with waking up three hours before school starts to make a trip that should take you 20 minutes, but instead takes a couple of hours. 

Public transit is an essential part of Baltimore’s educational infrastructure. This is especially because Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPSS) is the only school district in Maryland that doesn’t provide yellow school bus service beyond fifth grade.

Instead, high schoolers are given free transit passes. Because students attend schools throughout the city through the district’s school-choice system, many depend on MTA buses, Metro, SubwayLink, and Light Rail to get to school. 

The consequences of unreliable transit extend beyond an inconvenient commute. A canceled bus can mean missing a class, arriving late for an exam, or losing time that could have been spent sleeping, studying, or participating in extracurricular activities. Students who cannot drive or access a family car have few alternatives. 

Attendance data further reinforces the severity of this issue. During the 2024–25 school year, 46.4% of Baltimore City Public Schools students were chronically absent, meaning they missed at least 10% of the school year, according to the Maryland State Department of Education. Among high school students, the rate was 61.9%. While transportation doesn’t cause every absence, unreliable service creates an additional cause for missing school. 

The MTA’s transit app should make planning easier, but riders rarely can trust the information on it. Arrival estimates often change or buses fail to appear, leaving students unable to know when to leave or whether to find another route. 

Baltimore needs funding

Baltimore does not lack ideas for improving transportation. Several plans outline what a more useful and reliable system could look like. The main problem we face is whether the state will provide the funding necessary to implement them. 

The Maryland Transit Administration’s BMORE BUS plan, published in June 2025, outlines improvements to bus frequency, routes, service hours, and connections across the Baltimore region. More frequent buses and expanded service could reduce waiting times and make it easier for students to reach school, work, and extracurricular activities.

However, BMORE BUS is a vision plan, not a fully funded implementation schedule. Its broader improvements require additional resources. 

The proposed Red Line would establish an east-west rapid transit corridor connecting communities across Baltimore and improving access to jobs, schools, and other destinations. As of 2026, the state is evaluating different approaches to delivering the project, including full or phased light rail and bus rapid transit alternatives. Construction funding remains a major challenge. 

Meanwhile, the MTA’s Light Rail Modernization Program is intended to replace aging vehicles and upgrade tracks, stations, signals, and maintenance facilities. Its projected timeline extends through 2035.

The proposed budget raises serious questions 

Maryland’s draft Fiscal Years 2027–2032 Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP), released in September, has intensified these concerns. 

An analysis by Bikemore and the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance estimated that the draft represents a $362.7 million reduction in Baltimore-area transit funding compared with the previous six-year plan. At a Baltimore Regional Transit Commission meeting, Maryland Department of Transportation officials presented a smaller estimate of $249 million. 

The figures reflect different analyses, but both raise concerns about Baltimore’s transportation investments. The draft also provides no construction funding for the Red Line and does not fully fund the broader BMORE BUS vision. 

Meanwhile, the state’s transportation budget supports highway projects and transit investments in the Washington region. Maintaining roads and bridges is necessary, and transportation investments across Maryland matter. But Baltimore residents deserve a clear explanation of why major transit improvements remain unfunded while other transportation priorities receive investment. 

Federal funding uncertainty adds another challenge. Major transit projects often depend on both state and federal resources, and Maryland cannot assume federal dollars will fill every gap. However, uncertainty should prompt state leaders to identify sustainable funding sources and establish realistic timelines, not indefinitely postpone improvements. 

Students are fighting for change 

A September 30 hearing at City Hall demonstrated why student participation matters. 

Dozens of students attended to advocate for Baltimore transit, and three students, including myself, spoke at a rally beforehand where Mayor Brandon Scott was present, as well as City Council President Zeke Cohen.

Throughout the hearing, speakers repeatedly touched on students’ transportation experiences and the consequences of inadequate service.

Our participation brought the effects of budget decisions into a discussion that otherwise might have focused primarily on funding allocations and infrastructure projects. We made it clear that these decisions affect real people, including students whose attendance, schedules, and opportunities depend on public transit. 

But there’s still more we can do. 

Students can find their Maryland state delegates and senator through the Maryland General Assembly’s representative lookup, contact their offices, and ask them to support reliable transit and meaningful investment in Baltimore. They can attend public hearings, submit comments on the CTP, and support organizations such as Bikemore, Better Transit Now, and the Fund for Educational Excellence. 

The state budget is still a proposal, which means residents have an opportunity to make their concerns heard before decisions are finalized. 

Get involved.

To contact this writer, email Muse Newspaper at musebsa@bsfa.org.