By Craig Bettenhausen
Travel along the Charles Street-St. Paul corridor got easier on October 5th, when the Baltimore Department of Transportation extended the Charm City Circulator’s purple route north into Charles Village.
The free bus line now runs from Fort Street, in Federal Hill, to W. 33rd Street. Before the extension, the Purple Route went only as far north as Penn Station.
Five northbound stops were added on N. Charles Street; at North Avenue, 22nd Street, 25th Street, 27th Street, and 31st Street. Five southbound stops were added on St. Paul Street; at 33rd Street, 29th Street, 25th Street, 22nd Street, and North Avenue. Instead of having fixed schedules, the buses come every 10 minutes. The service runs every Monday–Thursday 7am to 8pm, Friday 7am to midnight, Saturday 9am to midnight, and Sunday 9am to 8pm.
“The Charm City Circulator is one of the city’s best-reviewed services,” Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said announcing the extension. “The ridership has exceeded all of our expectations, and I know this is something that’s a big asset to the community, and it’s going to help us continue to grow.”
The Charm City Circulator program was planned and launched under former mayor Sheila Dixon, who is running for mayor again this cycle. Rawlings-Blake, who is not running for re-election, oversaw the system’s full implementation and expansion.
“Since the circulator was extended to Charles Village, it's become feasible for me to take the bus to work downtown and ditch my car for day to day purposes,” says Cresmont Avenue resident Ryan McAlpine. “Because of the sheer number of stops on either the 3 or 11 MTA routes, it would take me around 40 minutes to travel 3 miles. The same exact route on the circulator takes only 20 minutes.” ◘
Five northbound stops were added on N. Charles Street; at North Avenue, 22nd Street, 25th Street, 27th Street, and 31st Street. Five southbound stops were added on St. Paul Street; at 33rd Street, 29th Street, 25th Street, 22nd Street, and North Avenue. Instead of having fixed schedules, the buses come every 10 minutes. The service runs every Monday–Thursday 7am to 8pm, Friday 7am to midnight, Saturday 9am to midnight, and Sunday 9am to 8pm.
“The Charm City Circulator is one of the city’s best-reviewed services,” Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said announcing the extension. “The ridership has exceeded all of our expectations, and I know this is something that’s a big asset to the community, and it’s going to help us continue to grow.”
The Charm City Circulator program was planned and launched under former mayor Sheila Dixon, who is running for mayor again this cycle. Rawlings-Blake, who is not running for re-election, oversaw the system’s full implementation and expansion.
“Since the circulator was extended to Charles Village, it's become feasible for me to take the bus to work downtown and ditch my car for day to day purposes,” says Cresmont Avenue resident Ryan McAlpine. “Because of the sheer number of stops on either the 3 or 11 MTA routes, it would take me around 40 minutes to travel 3 miles. The same exact route on the circulator takes only 20 minutes.” ◘
