Ask MTA administrators and transit activists, and you’ll get the same answer: No idea. It’s just been that way forever.

This episode, we find a fifty-year-old archival newspaper article that reveals some clues, and we hear from present-day student commuters about how well the system is working out for them today.

This episode, we hear from:

MDOT MTA Administrator Holly Arnold

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Student bus commuters Isabelle, Imani, and Na’im

Ruth Farfel and Kwane Wyatt of The Fund for Educational Excellence

The Baltimore Banner and WYPR have a joint operating agreement that allows the nonprofit organizations to work collaboratively to deliver quality journalism across the region. To learn more about the partnership, click here. This season of Maryland Curiosity Bureau features episodes with Banner reporters like Clara Longo de Freitas and Tim Prudente.