Route 29 (MTA Maryland)
| Company type | Bus route |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Fate | Discontinued in June 2019 |
| Headquarters | Baltimore , United States |
Area served | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Products | Bus service |
Route 29 was a bus line managed by the Maryland Transit Administration serving the city of Baltimore. Operating on weekdays and Saturdays, it linked the Cherry Hill Light Rail Stop to the Cherry Hill neighborhood. Other MTA routes, including 27 and 51, also provided service to the Cherry Hill area.
History
The Route 29 label for transit service in Cherry Hill was introduced on June 14, 1993.[1] Prior to this, the community was served by different bus lines.
One of the most historically significant uses of the number 29 was the No. 29 Streetcar, which operated from Roland Park to downtown Baltimore between 1908 and its conversion into a bus route in 1947. The No. 29 bus continued until 1959 before being merged into the No. 6 Bus (currently known as LocalLink 67). In 1977, the Roland Park segment separated from No. 6 and became Route 61. Additionally, another Route 29 functioned as an express bus running from Timonium to downtown between 1983 and 1988.
Before Route 29 was established, Route 28 served as the primary bus line for Cherry Hill starting in 1947. It connected the corridor along Liberty Heights Avenue with Cherry Hill. Buses departing Liberty Heights but not terminating in Cherry Hill carried the No. 28 designation, while those ending in Cherry Hill were numbered No. 37—a system reflecting racial segregation that persisted until 1974 when all buses were consolidated under Route No. 28.[2][3][4]
Origin
Route 29 was created in 1993 as a division from Route 28 following the southward expansion of the Light Rail. Initially, it operated between the Cherry Hill and Patapsco stations.
Prior to this change, Route 28 provided weekday service from Mondawmin Metro Subway Station to either Cherry Hill or Baltimore Highlands. At the same time, a new Route 30 was introduced to link Cherry Hill with the Baltimore Highlands station.
After this separation, Route 28 maintained continuous service between Mondawmin and Camden Yards, with hourly trips extending to Cherry Hill via Russell Street. On Sundays, service continued along its original path covering both Cherry Hill and Baltimore Highlands.
In 1996, weekday operation of Route 28 was discontinued except on Sundays; its function was replaced by an extended Route 27 running along Russell Street and late-night trips serving Cherry Hill or Baltimore Highlands when light rail was not operating.
By 2001, Sunday service on Route 28 ceased entirely, marking the end of a longstanding transit route active since 1947. Concurrently, Route 30 was eliminated; Route 51 was extended to Patapsco through Baltimore Highlands while Route 27 took over coverage of Cherry Hill.
Initially intended as a supplementary route coordinated with Route 27, Route 29 transitioned to a loop service in 2002.
A proposal under the Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative in 2005 suggested implementing bi-directional routing and extending Route 29 downtown to include Port Covington; however, these plans were never realized. The GBBI program was discontinued in 2007 without further modifications to Route 29.
June 2011
The service interval was modified to run every 20 minutes. On weekdays after 3 PM and Saturdays post 1 PM, certain trips to the Cherry Hill Multi-Purpose Center were discontinued.
June 2017
In June 2019, Route 29 was discontinued as part of the BaltimoreLink system redesign. Passengers were advised to use LocalLinks 26 and 71 as alternative options.