For Immediate Release: Tuesday, February 3, 2026

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is celebrating love during the month of February with its Flash Bus Rapid Transit service. Five Flash BRT buses servicing Colesville Road/Columbia Pike (U.S. 29) are decorated with neon heart lights and colorful red lights framing the buses.

Residents and visitors are encouraged to take pictures of the lighted buses and post them to social media to be entered into a weekly drawing for a $35 gift card. To enter, snap a picture of a decorated LoveFlash bus and post it on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads or X, and tag and follow @MCDOTNow. The contest will run until Saturday, Feb. 28.

The U.S. 29 Flash BRT route has 12 stops and connects Downtown Silver Spring and Briggs Chaney, with high-frequency bus service. The line extends to Burtonsville on weekday rush hours.

"Flash is a great option for those who travel on Rt. 29 because it's fast, reliable, and easy to use,"said County Executive Marc Elrich. "Adding a little fun during February is a reminder that public transit can be welcoming and human, while still doing serious work connecting people to jobs, schools, and each other. When we invest in high-quality transit and make it free to ride, we're building a County that's more accessible and better for everyone."

Flash is the County's bus rapid transit (BRT) service. BRT is a limited-stop bus service that is gaining popularity in metropolitan areas across the U.S. and worldwide. BRT systems such as Flash are designed to arrive every few minutes, have upgraded amenities, pre-boarding payment, priority traffic light signaling, and dedicated lanes where possible. Flash BRT, like all County Ride On Buses, are zero-fare.

The County has a vision to expand the Flash network with seven additional corridors and an extension of the U.S. 29 Flash to Howard County. The Howard County expansion is expected to open in the fall of 2026. The Veirs Mill Road Flash will be the next full corridor to be built out. Utility construction started this past fall. The central section of the Rockville Pike/355 Flash and North Bethesda corridor will follow.

"Our residents have shown their love for Flash since its debut in 2020, where it has consistently been one of our top five most popular bus routes, mostly in the top three for ridership, for the winter holidays and this year we're lighting up the buses to celebrate Valentines Day,"said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. "The decorated buses bring a lot of joy and are a great way to bring attention to our soon to be expanding BRT network."

For more information on how to ride the Flash bus, and to learn about future corridors, visit RideTheFlash.com. See how County residents think Flash Bus Rapid Transit will transform the County in a new video.

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