An organization that advocates for public city schools students is calling on Gov. Wes Moore to fund a recently released vision plan to expand Maryland Transit Administration bus service, citing “significant positive impacts for students.”

In a letter to Moore last week, the Fund for Educational Excellence wrote that Baltimore City Public Schools students “face unacceptably unreliable and infrequent bus service along with safety issues, which affect their attendance and learning at school.”

The group cited a Baltimore Banner investigation published in February that found that students cannot reliably get to and from school in a reasonable amount of time using the existing public transit system. It also highlights a 2021 report by the Fund that said inadequate transportation is a barrier to participation in extracurricular activities, after-school jobs and more.

Moore’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the letter from the Fund, which was founded in 1984 to close the equity and opportunity gaps for all Baltimore public school students.

In an emailed statement, MTA spokesperson Veronica Battisti pointed to “strategic, incremental improvements” that the agency continues to make as the BMORE Bus plan “lays out a long-term vision for the future bus network.”

The agency recently began allowing city students to ride most MTA vehicles for free at any time, expanding access that was previously reserved for certain hours on school days. Other upgrades include installing more antennas on buses to allow for more accurate GPS tracking and modest increases to the frequencies of certain bus routes.

“These investments address immediate needs while laying the groundwork for a more connected future,” Battisti said.

Baltimore’s transit system has made student transportation difficult for years, especially since the city implemented a school choice system in which 6th-12th graders can attend any middle or high school in the city based on preference and availability.

The Fund’s letter joins a growing push for more investment in Baltimore’s public transit system even as a tight state budget reality could restrict both education and transportation spending in coming years.

The ambitious BMORE Bus plan, released in June, calls for increasing the frequency of bus service on all MTA routes and adding new, limited-stop express routes among other improvements.

The $1.1 billion plan hinges on a large capital commitment to build a fifth bus division. MTA Administrator Holly Arnold has said previously that the agency simply does not have enough physical space at its existing four divisions to store and maintain more buses. Though the MTA recently introduced modest service level improvements on some routes, “meaningful expansion” of bus service would require the amount of buses the fifth division would house.

The agency estimates that full implementation of the plan could take up to 10 years.

The Fund’s letter says the BMORE Bus plan would have many positive impacts for students, including shorter transfer windows that help students avoid potential safety issues and get to school faster. The state also prioritized road and highway expansion for many years while neglecting to expand core MTA public transit service, it states.

“Investing in public transit to help students get to school both safely and on time promotes their future academic and career success, which in turn contributes to the long-term welfare of Baltimore and the economy of the State of Maryland,” the Fund’s letter reads.

Transportation advocates have called the MTA vision plan one that would lift all ships, as it would benefit not just students but everyone who relies on public transit. In Baltimore, roughly one of every three to four households relies on the system. The ratio skews further in many neighborhoods that are predominantly Black or lower income where a higher percentage of residents do not own cars.

Moore’s transportation department has secured funding for major overhauls on the Baltimore Metro subway and Light Rail lines. Both have been in need given the age of their lines, though their ridership pales in comparison to the bus system.

Banner reporter Liz Bowie contributed to this article.