Montgomery CountyDepartment of Transportation
March 18 is National Transit Employee Appreciation Day: Did you know that Ride On operates 7 days a week, has 80+ routes and employs 650 bus operators, transports approximately 65,000 riders daily; ranked 2nd nationally in a Transit App survey as a service most likely to be recommended to family and friends; and had a 20% ridership growth in 2024? Join us in celebrating the hard work and dedication of our employees.
Read about our Ride On, Metrobus, Metrorail, and MTA Commuter bus options for Federal Employees HERE.
Fares
Fare policies apply to Ride On, Ride On extRa, Ride On Flex, and Flash service.
Open all sections | Close all sections
Pay with SmarTrip® in your Apple Wallet and Google Pay.
Buy Ride On Pass - see pass details
- Yes: Online at www.smartrip.com
- Yes: TRiPS Commuter Stores - See TRiPS Commuter Store locations
- Yes: Montgomery County Division of Treasury - See Treasury location
- Yes: Sales Outlets - See Sales Outlet Locations
Add money to SmarTrip® card
- Yes: Online at www.smartrip.com
- Yes: Metrorail stations - See Metrorail station locations
- Yes: Metrobuses
- Yes: Ride On buses (except Ride On extRa and Flex)
- Yes: TRiPS Commuter Stores - See TRiPS Commuter Store locations
- Yes: Montgomery County Division of Treasury - See Treasury location
- Yes: Sales Outlets - See Sales Outlet Locations
Buy regular SmarTrip® card
- Yes: Online at www.smartrip.com
- Yes: Metrorail stations - See Metrorail station locations
- Yes: TRiPS Commuter Stores - See TRiPS Commuter Store locations
- Yes: Montgomery County Division of Treasury - See Treasury location
- Yes: Sales Outlets - See Sales Outlet locations
Buy Senior SmarTrip® card - see Senior SmarTrip® card details
- Yes: TRiPS Commuter Stores - See TRiPS Commuter Store locations
- Yes: Montgomery County Division of Treasury - See Treasury location
- Yes: Libraries - See Library locations
Get Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® card - Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® card details
- Yes: TRiPS Commuter Stores - See TRiPS Commuter Store locations
- Yes: Montgomery County Division of Treasury - See Treasury location
- Yes: Libraries - See Library locations
- Yes: Schools - See School locations
| Product | Available at these locations | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online at www.smartrip.com | Metrorail stations
See Metrorail station locations |
Metrobuses | Ride On buses | TRiPS Commuter Stores
See TRiPS Commuter Store locations |
Montgomery County Division of Treasury
See Treasury location |
Sales Outlets
See Sales Outlet Locations |
Libraries
See Library locations |
Schools
See School locations |
|
| Buy Ride On Pass | Buy pass now | ||||||||
| Add money to SmarTrip® card | Add money now |
except Ride On extRa and Flex |
|||||||
| Buy regular SmarTrip® card | Buy card now | ||||||||
| Buy Senior SmarTrip® card | |||||||||
| Get Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® card | |||||||||
Ride On fare boxes accept coins (except pennies) and bills.
If you pay your fare with cash, the exact fare is required. Bus operators cannot make change or accept money.
The Ride On Monthly Pass costs $22.50 per month. See Monthly Pass details.
We only honor these additional passes:
Seniors and Persons with Disabilities
Free at all times on all MCDOT buses.
Eligible passengers:
-
Seniors age 65 years or older, with
- Senior SmarTrip® card, or
- Medicare Card and Photo ID
- Persons with disabilities with Metro Disability ID card and their attendants (now called the Reduced Fare SmarTrip Card)
-
Metrobus Routes included are:
- C2, C4, C8, F4, J1, J2, K6, K9*, L8, Q1, Q2, Q4, Q5, Q6, T2, Y2, Y7, Y8, Z2, Z6, Z7, Z8
- Riders should tap the farebox
MetroAccess Customers
Free at all times.
Eligible passengers:
- MetroAccess Certified or Conditional Customer with ID
- Companion of MetroAccess Certified or Conditional Customer with ID
Transfers
- You must use a SmarTrip card
- to get a rail-to-bus or bus-to-rail discount or
- to transfer free from
bus to bus
- Ride On to Ride On
- Metrobus to Metrobus
- Metrobus to Ride On
- The time limit for all these transfers is 2 hours. Transfer as often as you need during this time.
| For this transfer type | The fare is |
|---|---|
|
SmarTrip Transfer from local bus |
Free |
|
SmarTrip Transfer from Metrorail |
$0.50 to Metrobus for Seniors & Persons with disabilities; FREE to Ride On |
All Montgomery County youth ages 18 and under ride FREE all the time on MCDOT buses. Select Metro bus routes are also free. See Kids Ride Free details.
Free, with Montgomery College student ID card with current semester sticker.
| For this transfer type | The fare is |
|---|---|
|
Ride On to WMATA Express bus |
Pay the upcharge above $1.25 |
|
non-Ride On bus to WMATA Express bus |
Pay the full Express fare |
- You must use a SmarTrip card
- to get a rail-to-bus or bus-to-rail discount or
- to transfer free from bus to bus.
- The time limit for all these transfers is 2 hours. Transfer as often as you need during this time.
| For this transfer type | The fare is |
|---|---|
|
SmarTrip Transfer from local bus |
Free |
|
SmarTrip Transfer from Metrorail |
$1.00
|
Need more information?
For information about
- Ride On bus service, call the MC311 Information Center by dialing 311 (from out-of-county: 240-777-0311).
- SmarTrip® cards, including lost or stolen cards, see the SmarTrip® Q&A page or call 1-888-762-7874.
Get email or texts about Ride On news and updates, including Kids Ride Free.
