History of Maryland Transit Administration

All of these routes were ultimately converted to rubber tire bus operations, and many were consolidated, extended into newly developed areas, or otherwise reconfigured to keep up with the ridership demands of the times.

[2] Additional routes and extensions were added in later years to serve newly developed communities and to feed into Metro and Light Rail stations.

With the growth in popularity of the private automobile during the 20th century, streetcar and bus ridership declined, and the needs for public transportation changed.

Mass transit in Baltimore and other cities shifted from a corporate operation to a service funded and run by the government.

[2] The demise of the Baltimore streetcar took place between the years of 1947 and 1963, hastened by National City Lines' acquisition, which said that buses offered lower maintenance and had greater flexibility in traffic.

It was the successor to the old United Railways and Electric Company, formed in 1899 to consolidate and operate Baltimore's streetcar lines.

[5] In the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, the BTCO fired a white bus driver who claimed to be the Grand Wizard of the Baltimore Ku Klux Klan.

A labor arbitrator ruled in favor of BTCO in this firing, which was in part spurred by other white drivers threatening to strike if the man was not dismissed.