All students, faculty, and visitors need some means of travel to get to Frederick Community College. The Frederick County Transit System provides an affordable, safe, and punctual means for students to get to and from the college. Some FCC riders use the bus system exclusively, while others have researched connectors and shuttles to be used as an alternate means to get to FCC.
The Transit system service for FCC has 3 connector bus routes that directly drops off and picks up students in front of Linganore Hall. Six other connector routes and shuttles are covering Frederick County, and provide transfers to these buses at no additional charge.
The Transit Connector buses pick up riders from the local Frederick area, while the shuttle buses pick up riders from Brunswick, Jefferson, Emmitsburg, Thurmont, Point of Rocks, and Walkersville. Both the Connector and Shuttle buses will bring the riders to a transfer point. From there, they get on the bus that will bring them to FCC.
Students with FCC IDs can receive a discount rate by purchasing a 10-trip ticket for $10 or a monthly pass for $30. A one-way base fare is $1.50. Exact change is required and bus passes or mobile tickets must be presented immediately when boarding the bus.
Students up to the age of 22 who attend summer classes at FCC can purchase a Summer Freedom Plus pass for $15 a month.
All TransIT buses are equipped with bicycle racks. Students who plan on using these bike racks are asked to visit the Transit Web page for directions on mounting their bikes.
Reduce fare of 75 cents is available for people with disabilities and senior citizens over the age of 60.
“TransIT On the Go,” is a mobile app that lets you plan your trip, buy tickets, locate your bus along its route, and get service alerts.
All Connector and shuttle buses are equipped with wheelchair lifts.
For people with disabilities who are unable to use the Connector and Shuttle buses, TransIT-Plus and ADA Paratransit are available. These two services have different eligibility requirements and different service characteristics. This includes fares and advanced reservation requirements.
There are advantages and disadvantages of relying on the TransIT system.
Some advantages are that the Connectors and shuttles are reliable, affordable and comfortable, and the drivers are professional drivers.
But there are disadvantages. More time is needed to travel to where you need to go, and you must carry all your belongings with you for the day.
Julia, a cyber security student at FCC, counts on the Transit system five days a week commuting from her home in downtown Frederick. Julia complimented the system, saying “The Transit system is reliable and affordable.”
Anna, a general studies student, has classes two days a week and rides Transit four times each week. Anna’s travel time, including a transfer, is about an hour and a half. Anna buys the 10-trip tickets for $10. She also sometimes uses Uber to get back and forth to FCC.
Sean, an architect engineering student, rides the bus eight times a week to FCC.
When the students were asked about good and bad experiences, all reflected that the drivers were helpful, courteous, and professional.
To Learn More
Call Transit Services of Frederick County at 301-600-2065 or go online at www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/TransIt. One of the reliable points of Transit is that the connectors will not leave the college until the exact scheduled departure time.
