LocalLink 36 is a bus route operated by the
Maryland Transit Administration in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
and its suburbs. The line currently runs from
Towson to
Fox Ridge, serving
Parkville,
Overlea,
Rosedale, and
Essex, and the Essex campus of the
Community College of Baltimore County (formerly Essex Community College).
History
Route 36 started operating in 1973 as Route 55 between Overlea and Towson, with branches via
Joppa Road and
Taylor Avenue
Parkville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 30,734.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area ...
, and to
Hunt Valley. A year later, as the
Route 9 was introduced, the Hunt Valley service on this line was truncated to Towson.
In 1977, Route 55 was combined with Route 2, which had operated limited service between Overlea and Fox Ridge. For the next 20 years, the line operated from the Towson area to
Franklin Square Hospital
MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, a member of MedStar Health, is a hospital located in the Rosedale area of eastern Baltimore County, Maryland. It is the third largest hospital in Maryland; with more than 3,500 employees, it is one of the ...
, with selected trips, mostly during rush hour, continuing to Fox Ridge. Express trips to the Essex area from Towson were also introduced, but were eliminated in 1992.
In 1997, all trips were extended to Fox Ridge.
In 1998, two daily trips which operated via Taylor Avenue through Parkville were discontinued.
In 2005, as part of the
Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative, it was proposed that Route 55 would operated every 30 minutes versus the previous 40, and Sunday service would be introduced. No routing changes were planned initially to Route 55. But this plan was later delayed due to public outcry over changes to other routes.
In 2006, under a revision, MTA made plans for Route 55 to loop at the Towson Courthouse rather than GBMC, and for service on the remainder of the route to be provided on other lines. This plan was not implemented immediately. But on October 8, 2006, Sunday service was introduced, reflecting this new routing.
On February 17, 2008, these changes were implemented seven days a week,
[MTA February 2008 schedule changes] despite public outcry over transfers that would be required to reach
Towson University and area hospitals.
On June 18, 2017, BaltimoreLink renamed Route 55 to Route 36.
References
{{MTA Maryland bus
Maryland Transit Administration bus routes
1973 establishments in Maryland