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MARC Train, Commuter Bus return to full service in August, as fares rise next week

With things reopening around the D.C. area, the Maryland Transit Administration will make it easier to get around this fall.

Beginning Aug. 30, full scheduled service will resume on both the MARC Train and Commuter Bus. That service had been scaled back last November because of lower ridership amid the pandemic, with MARC operating under an enhanced “R” schedule and the Commuter Bus running on an “S” schedule.

But beginning Sunday, Commuter Bus and MARC riders will be paying $1 more on one-way fares, due to a 2013 state law that mandates a fare review every five years, and a fare hike when the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers has increased over the previous five years.

Those increases had been scheduled to take effect last year, but were delayed by Gov. Larry Hogan because of the pandemic.

MTA said fares on these services vary by zone. You can find more information about specific routes on the MTA website.

Fares for MTA’s core service serving the Baltimore area — Local Bus, Light Rail and Metro Subway — are also being increased by about 10 cents, but those riders won’t notice until next year: Money from the American Relief Plan will cover that increase through June 26, 2022.

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