So, You Want to be a Bus Driver?... 𝘽𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙆 | Route 70 - 𝑭𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝑹𝒊𝒅𝒆 (Bus Driver's POV)

LocalLink 70 - Annapolis (State Capitol) to Patapsco🅛

Losfom Z11 Body Camera (1080p)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DP3YMDDY?...

Aptly named the 𝑮𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝑳𝒊𝒏𝒆 (by me) as it serves a direct line from Baltimore to our state capitol, Annapolis, this has long been my #1 favorite bus line since childhood to present-day where I am granted the opportunity to operate it.
It is long (time)... it is fast (speed)... it is layback (modest ridership)... and it serves such a crucial purpose than many unfamiliar with this line's legacy tend to be aware of. Ritchie Highway could be quantified as THE MOST HEAVILY traveled upon state-owned roadway in the Greater Baltimore, with very few comparable examples able to rival it, and it has a lot to do with the route having a direct link between Baltimore and Annapolis. If there wasn't an Interstate 97, this would be the PREMIER HIGHWAY between these two population centers. With that much traffic volume comes just as much patronage linking to the hundreds of communities and villages; businesses and warehouses... and jailhouse, who feed into this lengthy boulevard.
Coupled alongside it's twin, the "𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝟲𝟵," these two lines work as a tandem to provide as much adequate service as possible for Ritchie Highway commuters. Beyond Pasadena (Jumper's Hole); where the LocalLink 69 terminates, the LocalLink 70 is on a 13-mile solo journey away from Baltimore's spear of influence to the political epic center city of Annapolis. If you're curious as to what I mean by that... Annapolis sits amidst a confluence of various cultural sectors that makes up stste of Maryland as we know it. Given, that Annapolis IS our state capitol, it's at a crossroads between industrial; commercial; and agricultural influence within the region: A gateway to the farming & cultivation of the Delmarva peninsula that requires a brave soul to cross the Bay Bridge spans to reach our the maritime gold-mine of the Chesapeake Bay, and the subsequent Atlantic Ocean. Some 30-miles west from the Governor's mansion is our nation's Capitol of Washington, D.C., which heralds -- obviously -- as the political & commerce influence of our state's sustainability. Lastly, where we originate from... Baltimore's spear of influence is catered to the industrialization of our region, especially following the war against the British, not only in-state, but interstate throughout the Mid-Atlantic. This 328 square mile triangle of confluence is what has led Maryland to prosper for well over three centuries from a mere colony to a premier state.
Social studies essay completed. Without any undertaken, the 𝑮𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝑳𝒊𝒏𝒆 continues to be the backbone -- even amongst the automotive purists -- for our region.

Obviously, before the LocalLink 70 (and 69), the predecessor covering this grand ole' highway was the Route 14. Going even FURTHER back, this line was influenced by the long-gone and mildly forgotten 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞-𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 who's fate was sealed following WWII when said railroad was decommissioned and stripped of it's tracks following the 1960s. The LocalLink 70 (as was the No. 14) lives on as the placeholder for it's legacy, one that is much needed now since the automobile is a dread to the masses whose only option is to spend hours stuck in traffic -- as with much of America -- wishing there was an alternative, yet ignoring the one solution that was once there. Heck, many of the neighborhoods who donned the names along the trail were named after the damn stations.
The touchy subject will be reserved for the 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝟲𝟵 POV video, as it would give me a little more wiggle room to discuss it, but, such as the LocalLink 75, this line was a conglomeration of several lines working in tandem to cover as much area for suburban sprawl in Anne Arundel county as possible. Before the light rail came to be, Anne Arundel sought the opportunity to have many of it's newly developed communities be served by express or limited-commuter (i.e.: No. 14 and, retroactively, No. 17) services with the focal point center around Ritchie Highway and Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard.

If you are curious as to how vast the original No. 14 and prerequisite predecessors were routed beyond Cromwell/Glen Burnie, feel free to click the link for the maps I saved on my 𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗿 page:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mjoflak... or https://www.flickr.com/photos/mjoflak...

Bus Driven: 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗕𝘂𝘀 LFS-A (62-footer)

▪ Frequency: 50-75 minutes (Weekdays/rush hour) / 70 minutes (Saturdays) / 70-80 minutes (Sundays & Holidays)
▪ Equipment: 3-4 buses (Weekdays); 3 buses (Saturdays); 3 buses (Sundays & Holidays)
▪ Length per Trip: 95 minutes
▪ Division: Bush

🟌https://www.mta.maryland.gov/schedule...
🟌https://metrodreamin.com/view/d0hhYTV...


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