The Washington Suburban Transit Com-
mission, created by Chapter 870, Acts of
1965, consists of seven commissioners, of
whom three are appointed by the Mont-
gomery County Executive, three by the
Prince George's County Executive, and the
Secretary of Transportation who serves as
an ex officio member of the Commission.
Commissioners who are appointed serve at
the pleasure of the Executive, and commis-
sioners who are not appointed from among
the members of the governing bodies serve
for a period of three years.
The Commission was established for the
purpose of administering the activities and
functions of the Washington Suburban
Transit District, with powers to develop,
on a bi-county basis, a transportation sys-
tem including mass transit facilities for the
needs and growth of both counties. The
Commission appoints two of its members,
and two alternates, to the Board of Direc-
tors of the Washington Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority (WMATA), the inter-
state agency charged with the overall re-
sponsibility of planning, financing and op-
erating the regional rapid rail and bus
transit operations for the Washington metro-
politan area. The Commission works in |
conjunction with the interstate authority in
the development of the regional rapid rail
transit system which has been under con-
struction since December, 1969. The first
segment of that system — 4.5 miles ex-
tending from the Rhode Island Avenue Sta-
tion to Farragut North Station in downtown
Washington, D. C. — began revenue opera-
tions March 29, 1976. The complete sys-
tem is expected to be operational by July.
1983.
In February, 1973, the interstate author-
ity acquired the operations of the areas'
four privately owned bus companies and
began immediate plans for improving transit
service in Montgomery and Prince George's
Counties. The Commission acts as the fi-
nancial conduit through which funding of
mass transportation projects within the
counties will take place The Commission
acts as the coordinating body with regard
to mass transit matters within the bi-county
area and as such, coordinates mass transit
activities of the two county governments
with each other, with WMATA, and with
the Maryland Department of Transportation.
*By law, chairmanship of the Commission
rotates on an annual basis between Montgom-
ery and Prince George's Counties. |
