James: Empty buses won’t solve Montgomery County’s transit challenge

Montgomery County is large and prosperous with a highly educated workforce. But that doesn’t mean we can throw money away. The County Executive and members of the Council have approved plans to expand their Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system despite its failure to attract riders. The BRT, marketed as the Flash bus, is an expensive solution for a bygone time. Meantime, county leadership turns a blind eye to alternative transit options. Transit riders don’t like buses. In 2019, The New York Times reported that bus ridership had dropped for nearly seven years straight and was at its lowest level since the 1970s.