FINALLY, AN EASY WAY FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS TO GET FROM D.C. TO ANNAPOLIS

Anne Arundel County’s new free New Carrollton Express may look like a small transit change, but for students without cars, it opens the door to one of Maryland’s best cities.

I love Annapolis.

There is something about walking around downtown, grabbing something to eat, wandering toward City Dock and just hanging out near the water that makes Annapolis feel completely different from Washington. It is close enough to D.C. that you can decide on a Saturday morning to go there.

Except there has always been one problem.

Getting there without a car is a pain.

For college students living in Washington, especially those of us without cars, Annapolis may be much farther away than it actually is. Washington and Annapolis are only about 30 miles apart, yet historically the transit connection between the national capital and Maryland’s capital has been surprisingly inconvenient.

That is why Anne Arundel County’s new New Carrollton Express is such welcome news.

The county launched the fare-free service on August 3. The route connects the New Carrollton Metro Station with Westfield Annapolis Mall, stopping at the Davidsonville and Harry S. Truman park-and-ride lots along the way. It operates Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m. Best of all, Anne Arundel County Transit routes are fare-free.

For somebody in D.C., that changes the equation.

I can take Metro to New Carrollton, get on the express bus and head toward Annapolis. Once at Annapolis Mall, riders heading downtown can connect with Annapolis Transit. One rider who recently tested the entire journey reported reaching Church Circle about an hour and 15 minutes after leaving New Carrollton.
Is that as convenient as jumping into your own car?

No.

But I am a college student. I do not have my own car in D.C. That is the whole point.

Uber can get expensive very quickly, especially when you are talking about traveling roughly 30 miles each way. Splitting the ride among four people makes it easier, but it is still money that most college students would rather spend doing something once we actually get to Annapolis.

Renting a car is not necessarily the easy answer either.

If you are under 25, renting comes with its own complications and costs. Hertz, for example, allows many drivers under 25 to rent vehicles, but young renters may incur an additional daily fee and face restrictions on certain vehicle classes.

Then you have gas, parking and the responsibility of returning the car.

Suddenly a casual day trip becomes an expense and a project.

The New Carrollton Express makes it simple: Metro, bus, Annapolis.

That matters for another reason. College students should get outside the D.C. bubble.

There is more to this region than Washington. Annapolis is one of the coolest cities on the East Coast. You have the Maryland State House, the U.S. Naval Academy, St. John’s College, historic neighborhoods, restaurants, shops, boats and the Chesapeake Bay atmosphere that makes Annapolis feel like Annapolis.

It is also Maryland’s capital.

Students studying political science, history, public policy, government, or journalism should be able to get from Washington to Annapolis without having to solve some crazy transportation puzzle. The city is home to the state government and two major educational institutions, yet its transit connection to Washington has historically been remarkably limited.

The new route is not perfect.

The biggest limitation is obvious: it only operates Monday through Friday. That is almost backward for college students who might be most interested in visiting Annapolis on Saturday or Sunday. The route also ends at Westfield Annapolis Mall rather than downtown Annapolis, requiring another connection.

Those are things Anne Arundel County should eventually fix.

Give the route time to develop ridership, then expand it. Add Saturday and Sunday service. Increase frequency if demand warrants it. And eventually, find a way to provide a direct connection into downtown Annapolis.

But don’t let perfect become the enemy of good.

For years, getting between D.C. and Annapolis without a car was unnecessarily difficult. Now there is another option, and it is an option college students can actually afford.

I know I plan to use it.

Because when you are a college student in D.C. without a car, a free bus to Annapolis doesn’t sound like some minor transportation announcement.

It sounds like a road trip.

Without needing the car.

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ENDNOTES

1. Eye On Annapolis, “Anne Arundel County Launches Free New Carrollton Express Bus Service From Annapolis.”
https://www.eyeonannapolis.net/2026/08/anne-arundel-county-launches-free-new-carrollton-express-bus-service-from-annapolis/

2. Anne Arundel County Government, “New Carrollton.”
https://www.aacounty.org/transportation/transit/routes-service-hours/new-carrollton

3. Anne Arundel County Government, “Anne Arundel County Transit.”
https://www.aacounty.org/transportation/transit

4. Anne Arundel County Government, “Transit Routes & Service Hours.”
https://www.aacounty.org/transportation/transit/routes-service-hours

5. Hertz, “Young Renters.”
https://www.hertz.com/us/en/products-and-services/value-added-services/united-states/young-renters

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