Charm City Circulator
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 | |
 A 2011-model OBI Orion VII 07.501 EPA10 HEV "BRT" | |
| Parent | Baltimore City Department of Transportation |
|---|---|
| Commenced operation | January 11, 2010 |
| Locale | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Service area | Downtown Baltimore |
| Service type | Downtown circulator bus service |
| Routes | Bus: 4 Water Taxi: 3 |
| Stops | Bus: 101 Water Taxi: 3 |
| Fleet | 26 See fleet roster below |
| Fuel type | Clean diesel, Hybrid |
| Website | Official website |
The Charm City Circulator (CCC or Downtown Circulator) is a privately funded, public transit downtown circulator shuttle service giving riders connection to historic sites, parking, and businesses throughout downtown Baltimore for free. The newest transit system in Maryland was established in 2008, but did not begin inaugural service until January 11, 2010 because of funding issues. The system operates four routes on major streets throughout downtown. The system also connects to the city's water taxi and MTA Maryland.
History[edit]
The Charm City Circulator started as a plan by former mayor Sheila Dixon to make Baltimore an eco-friendly city and utilize transport throughout Downtown without the patron spending a dime. The plan was to launch three routes connecting across the inner-city, but delays in bus delivery caused routes to be implemented over 18 months rather than all at once. Service is seven days-a-week, with ten-minute intervals between buses. On January 11, 2010; the Orange Route became the pilot service for the Charm City Circulator travelling east-west via Pratt Street/Lombard Street, Central Avenue, and Baltimore Street. As soon as three months after service of the first line begin, the "CCC" reached the 100,000 riders milestone. Nearly six months later on June 4, the Purple Route began service travelling north-south via Charles Street & St. Paul/Light Streets. The much anticipated Green Route recently began service just outside downtown connecting City Hall to Johns Hopkins Medical Center via Broadway, Fleet Street, and President Street. On August 15, 2011, the city of Baltimore received $1.6 million in federal funds to expand service to Fort McHenry in early 2012. The "Banner Route" or Blue Route was intended to relieve congestion and make it easier for visitors to get to/from the famous landmark in time for the War of 1812 bicentennial celebration.
Bus routes[edit]
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2011) |
 | This section needs to be updated. (January 2020) |
| Route | Numbered stops | Major streets | Tourist connection | MTA connection | Began service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green: Johns Hopkins to City Hall via Fells Point | 101–126 |
|
| November 1, 2011 | |
| Orange: Harbor East to Hollins Market | 201–228 |
| January 11, 2010 | ||
| Purple: Federal Hill to 33rd Street via Penn Station | 301–327 |
|
| June 4, 2010 (33rd Street Expansion October 5, 2015) | |
| Banner: Inner Harbor to Fort McHenry | 401–420 |
|
| June 4, 2012 | |
| Legend = (L): Light Rail, (M): Metro Subway | |||||
Water taxi harbor connector routes[edit]
| Destinations | Bus connection | Frequency | Year begin |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
| 2011 |
|
|
| 2012 (TBD)[needs update] |
Bus fleet roster[edit]
| Year | Photo | Manufacturer | Model | Length | Fuel or propulsion | Powertrain | Fleet series (qty.) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Roster | |||||||||
| 2011-12 | | OBI [1][2][3] | Orion VII 07.501 EPA10 HEV "BRT" | 40 feet (12 m) | Diesel-electric hybrid | Cummins ISB6.7 | BAE Systems HybriDrive system | 1201–1212 (12) |
|
| 2019-21 | Nova Bus[4] | LFS TL40102A | Diesel | CumminsL9 | Allison B3400xFE | 1910218-1910223, 1910234-1910239(12) |
| ||
| Retired Roster | |||||||||
| 2009 |  | DesignLine | ECOSaver IV | 30 feet (9.1 m) | Hybrid | Capstone C30 | BRI AC motor | 0901–0913 (13) | |
| 2011 |  | Van Hool | A300L | 40 feet (12 m) | Diesel | Cummins ISL9 | Voith D864.5 | 1101–1105 (5) |
|
- All current and future buses in fleet are hybrid or clean-diesel vehicles under the Cleaner, Greener Baltimore Initiative's plan.
- Charm City Circulator (formerly operated by Veolia) bus yard located at 1400 Cherry Hill Road. Two blocks from Cherry Hill light rail stop and connection to MTA bus routes 27, 29, and 51.
- As of February 2020, the Charm City Circulator is putting new buses into service manufactured by NovaBus, according to the Baltimore Sun, the City of Baltimore plans to order new buses to fully replace the Orion buses that was put into service in 2012.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ "Circulator marks a year on the streets". Baltimore Sun. January 11, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
- ^ "Preview!: Charm City Circulator (City of Baltimore) 2011 Orion VII NG BRT #1202". WMATAvids. September 25, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
- ^ "Daimler showcases Orion buses with added features, technology". metro-magazine. October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
- ^ a b c Campbell, Colin. "Baltimore's Charm City Circulator adding six new buses next week to remedy persistent service issues". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "For the Charm City Circulator, 'growing pains are inevitable'". Baltimore Business Journal. August 26, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
- ^ "Circulator marks a year on the streets". Baltimore Sun. January 11, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
| This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2011) |