MTA Launches Holiday Bus, Free Rides and Festive Trains for Baltimore
The Maryland Transit Administration launched its 47th annual Holiday Bus on Monday, December 1, offering free rides, holiday music, and candy canes to riders as part of expanded seasonal programming. The initiative, which includes a decorated light rail train, a decorated metro subway car, and a reopened Train Garden at Mondawmin, aims to reinforce transit as an affordable and safe way to travel during the holiday season.
The Maryland Transit Administration kicked off its long running Holiday Bus program on December 1, bringing a festively decorated bus and decorated trains to Baltimore streets and stations. The Holiday Bus will operate on different CityLink and LocalLink routes on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., with riders able to find the vehicle in real time on the Transit app by looking for a sleigh icon. The bus will also take part in the 52nd Mayor’s Christmas Parade on Sunday, December 14.
Alongside the bus, the MTA is running a specially decorated light rail train and a decorated metro subway car, and it reopened an updated Train Garden at the Mondawmin Metro Subway Station mezzanine. The Train Garden includes new displays and a Polar Express themed addition, and it is open daily through Friday, January 2, 2026. The MTA has scheduled Sundays with Santa events at the Train Garden on December 7 and December 14.
Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold framed the programming in terms of access and safety, saying the holiday offerings "reinforces transit as an affordable and safe way to get around during the season." For Baltimore residents, the free Holiday Bus rides and station attractions reduce a small immediate cost barrier for families and shoppers and add seasonal reasons to choose public transit over driving. That shift can ease parking demand in commercial corridors and concentrate foot traffic near transit hubs during peak retail weeks.
The program is now in its 47th year, underscoring its role as a stable seasonal fixture that both markets transit and provides community engagement. While the Holiday Bus temporarily forgoes fare revenue on those runs, the broader economic effect is to stimulate local retail activity and remind occasional riders of transit options, which can support ridership recovery efforts in the long term.
Practical details for riders include weekday Holiday Bus service from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., sleigh icon tracking on the Transit app, the Train Garden open daily through January 2, and Sundays with Santa on December 7 and December 14. The bus and decorated trains offer free seasonal rides, music, and candy canes as part of the MTA’s holiday outreach across the city.
