If you live in Chestertown or somewhere in Kent County either as a student or a year-round resident, you are probably aware by now of the supreme irony that hems in existence around here. While more or less equidistant from Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, not to mention Annapolis or Wilmington, Chestertown may as well be situated smack dab in the middle of Yukon Territory if you lack a personal means of transportation.
In other words, Kent County genuinely lacks anything that can be recognized as verging on being a reliable, accessible public transportation system that truly allows for convenient access to the cultural centers typically associated with our area.
While you’d think that this vacuum left by the MTA would encourage a healthy culture of independent shuttle and bus services, a quick internet search will confirm that this hasn’t really happened for Kent County either.
There is, however, a service called the Jab Cab. It runs 7 days a week, operating out of the Kent Plaza. Their operator explained over the phone that they prefer a 24 hour notice before chartering one of their vans. When asked about their rates, the operator simply stated that “we go by the physical address”, declining to comment further. So, conceivably, you could get as far as Wilmington or Annapolis or even Baltimore and Washington with this service.
But if your aim is to get to Annapolis and really, any place west, then Kent Island has Dillon’s Bus service. Their non-charter hours are designed for commuters however, not the casual traveller, and you’d have to get to their Kent Narrows departure point by 6:50 a.m. at the latest if Annapolis or New Carrolton Station is your goal. A one way ticket to the Annapolis Park and Ride is currently $2.75.
And if Wilmington or Philadelphia is your destination, short of paying the Jab Cab for the whole trip, if you can get to Dover, Middletown, or Odessa you can rely on the regularly scheduled DART bus to take you up to Wilmington. From there, Philly is but a short SEPTA ride away.
What has not been mentioned so far, is that there is a public transportation option that serves the Upper Shore, called MUST (Maryland Upper Shore Transit, a subset of MTA’s Delmarva Community Transit).It costs $2.00 to the general public, and $1.00 for seniors. The problem with it, however, is that it does little to facilitate convenient access to the Western Shore or parts north of Chestertown and Rock Hall.
For instance, let’s say you were aware of the Dillon’s Bus service 6:50 a.m. bus for Annapolis departing from Kent Narrows, but live in Rock Hall or Chestertown.
If Rock Hall is your point of departure, that would mean that you’d be reporting to the Bayside Food parking lot by 5:20 a.m., (or if Chestertown, the Dollar General at 6:00 a.m.) arriving at the Centreville Shopping Center parking lot by 6:30 a.m. From there, you could take a 6:30 a.m. Queen Anne’s County Ride shuttle bus to the Grasonville Senior Center, arriving there at 6:45 a.m. This gives you five minutes to get to the Kent Narrows, so close, yet with residential Grasonville and route 50 W in the way, so far! From here, your options are to run, hitchhike, or just give up.
But it seems strange that there couldn’t be more of an effort on the part of Delmarva Community Transit–the MTA based organization that administers these low fare shuttle services–to empower car-less residents of the upper shore with consistent, logical access to areas outside of Delmarva.
Currently, the focus of DCT would seem to be on Delmarva, which may be the intended sense of its name. But shouldn’t the goal of a modern, comprehensive public transportation system be to acknowledge and synchronize with other available services providing transport to other areas?
rds1955 says
It’s all about Supply and Demand… If there was a significant demand, there would be a service.
DLaMotte says
Not quite. Roads were made the priority in this country years ago…lots of special interest helped
“pave” the way, as well. I know we live in a big nation but the lack of good public transportation is terrible.
Joe Diamond says
This could be the search for a solution for which no known problem exists.
Trailways Bus did come through Chestertown . The trains did come to Chestertown…….I personally rode the last one when Billy Don Shaffer came to town around 1989. There was a water shuttle / taxi from Rock Hall to Baltimore, Annapolis, St Michaels and some others during the same period.
I know of at least two other taxi deals (beside the ones mentioned in the article) that went away with the demise of their only driver. Like rds says`….supply and demand controls this.
An idea I had that couldn’t find traction was to allow parents to ride school buses if that would get them near work and or move the busses to known stops ….with movement to the next stop every half hour throughout the day. Never met anyone who thought I had a great idea.
Notice that there is one class of business that seems to be doing ok…….garages. One needs a public before public transportation is needed. The break even for public transportation does not seem to exist here.
Joe
Ken Noble says
Good summary, but “Rock Hall” is two words, not one.
The thing about good transit and regional transportation is that it takes a little bit of “central planning” to get it going and, gee, we wouldn’t want any “central planning”, would we?
Joe Diamond says
Yo Ken,
Rock Hall is a state of mind. And as DLaMotte points out…paved roads were a major accomplishment here before you and I arrived. For years central planning produced the nine foot road that was wide enough to allow one vehicle to pull into the mud at let the other pass……
…….That same central planning built a county connector over in Montgomery County so that if you want to skip the overcrowded but not wide enough Washington Beltway you are good to go. Glen Burnie to Rockville is now a breeze……..with a toll………….The same central planning has decreed the Rock Hall-Chestertown-Easton-Ocean City monorail to be not-ready-for prime–time (NRFPT)……………..so there is central planning. We just will not notice it.
Joe
Hope Clark says
Love your idea Joe Diamond! ” …to allow parents to ride school buses if that would get them near work”
The Local Management Board is organizing meetings to learn more about people’s transportation needs, and if there are any volunteer transportation systems in place especially for health transportation needs. Our first one is at Bethel Church this Sunday at 1pm. Please call 410 810 2573 or write me at [email protected] for more information! Maybe you would like to run one in your community!
Joe Diamond says
Hope,
Like I said nobody liked the idea. It sounds good…parent rides to work with child on school bus, using otherwise empty seat. Here are a few of the objections………..School buses are run by contractors on assigned routes with one seat per child planned into the contract. Should they have to allow one parent they would have top plan two seats per child in case all parents wanted to ride. Then there is the issue of child molesters…people who by law cannot be near places with children. Some of these folks have children who would ride the bus. Then there is the down time issue. After the kids are off the bus that vehicle and it’s driver either stand down or go to other contracted projects. Making them ride empty from one school to another in search of ridership just breaks the bank. In cities the school system gives students free or cheap public bus passes. Some are expected to walk to school. They also often provide free transportation to special education students who’s educational needs are not met within the system. Sometimes a parent or designated other must help these students.
It goes on from there…………the end is that people in need of transportation need to make their needs known and look for what is available. Around here public transportation is not always as easy as hopping in a car.
Joe
Joe Lill says
The area is one of those Catch 22 situations in which the attractive points for the DelMarVa are also it’s downfall. We live in a beautiful, rural, out of the way area with little congestion, and if on one particular day you need suburban transportation it’s not to be found. It’s much different than the Philadelphia lifestyle I remember as a small child living in a row house one block from a bus route and several blocks from the “EL”. It’s all about choices in life and what is really important to you.
Joe Diamond says
Joe,
My introduction to the area was a visit with a college friend to his family home on Piny Neck. We parked on the lawn because the driveway and street were full of boats and work trucks. I pointed out to my friend he had left the keys in the switch………….LEAVE ‘EM, A NEIGHBOR MIGHT NEED IT………WE WILL BE ON THE WATER.
And that is how it is done here. I have a neighbor who is 80 and legally blind. When he wants to go somewhere he calls around until he gets a ride to town…or people call him when they are at a store. If people wave they are asking for a ride or just being friendly while they are out walking.
The downside is the story of the local kids who sleep through HS because they are out working at a burger shop all night to earn insurance, gas and new car finance payments for the car they NEED to get to school.
Joe
Joe Lill says
Joe,
I hear ya! When we left Philadelphia we moved to Piney Neck and it’s exactly like you say there!