With the school year underway, are you tired of sitting in worse traffic? Of course you are. The Maryland Transit Administration wants you to take transit instead.

In honor of World Car Free Day on Sept. 22, the MTA won’t charge for rides on local and commuter buses, Metro SubwayLink, light rail, MARC trains and MobilityLink van service that entire weekend, the agency said in a press release Thursday afternoon.

“There’s never been a better time to experience the ease and convenience of public transportation,” MTA administrator Holly Arnold said in a written statement. “Public transit is an ideal way to experience all the region has to offer, and it’s an important tool in our efforts to decrease our carbon footprint.”

The free rides coincide with a packed weekend of events across the city, including the Ravens’ second home game and the highly anticipated return of Artscape.

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The MTA encourages all potential new riders to download the Transit mobile app to plan their trips. The app offers real-time tracking of buses, plus schedules and route information for all MTA transit modes.

World Car Free Day is an initiative that encourages motorists to give up driving for a day and try out transit, walking or biking to get around. In its statement, the MTA said dropping driving for transit will help decrease roadway congestion and vehicle emissions in the area.

Daniel Zawodny covers transportation for The Baltimore Banner as a corps member with Report For America, a national service organization that places emerging journalists with local newsrooms that cover underreported issues.

daniel.zawodny@thebaltimorebanner.com

Daniel Zawodny

Daniel.Zawodny@thebaltimorebanner.com

Daniel Zawodny

Daniel Zawodny covers transportation for the The Baltimore Banner as a corps member with Report For America. He is a Baltimore area native and graduated with his master's degree in journalism from American University in 2021. He is bilingual in English and Spanish and previously covered immigration issues.

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