Baltimore County’s ‘Towson Loop’ offers a ride for TU community

The shuttle service, expected this fall, has two stops near campus

By Cody Boteler on August 17, 2021

The Towson Loop shuttle pictured in front of the Baltimore County government building
One of the Towson Loop shuttles, pictured in front of the Baltimore County government building (courtesy photo).

Expected to begin service this fall, the Towson Loop circulator bus will provide students, faculty and staff with a public transit option to travel from campus to the heart of downtown Towson and other nearby destinations.

The Towson Loop has two routes, one that travels north­–south and one that travels east–west. The southbound and northbound routes include a stop on York Road at Aigburth Road, right on Towson University’s campus.

“This is fantastic news for the TU community, as well as the surrounding community. It only further engages one with the other,” says President Kim Schatzel. “And as an anchor institution, we support public transportation. There’s more than $1.5 billion in public and private development occurring within a half-mile of our campus, and I’m grateful that our students, faculty and staff will have even more opportunities to engage with local businesses and community offerings.”

The planned routes include stops that provide access to local restaurants, health care providers, grocery stores and other destinations like the Towson Town Center.

“We really appreciate the collaborative process that the county executive’s office undertook in making sure that the routes connected the area’s anchor institutions and businesses,” said Katie Maloney, TU’s executive director of government and community relations.

Between the Towson Loop, Towson University’s shuttle program and the MTA, university affiliates have many convenient options for traveling on and around campus. TU’s shuttles operate year-round, on- and off-campus—and are also free for university affiliates.

“The Loop can help invite residents of the greater Towson area onto the university campus to enjoy athletics, arts programming and other events,” says Pam Mooney, director of parking and transportation services.

The Towson Loop is a county project intended to reduce congestion and greenhouse gas pollution while offering convenient and reliable public transportation. Service is scheduled to run from 6 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays. It will not run on Sundays.

“As Towson and Towson University have together grown tremendously and become even more vibrant in recent years, the Loop will make it easier for students and other residents to travel between where they live and the shopping, dining and other destinations Towson has to offer,” says Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr.

The plans for the Towson Loop are more than a decade in the making, says County Councilman David Marks, who represents Towson.

“This long-awaited project will not only improve mobility in some of the densest parts of Baltimore County, but it will help students reach downtown jobs, assist restaurants and other small businesses and further knit the college community into greater Towson,” he says.

Nancy Hafford, executive director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce, says the connections between campus and the surrounding area are “stronger than ever.”

She praised recent developments like the completion of unaffiliated student housing complexes, the university office space at 401 Washington Avenue and the soon-to-come StarTUp Accelerator in the historic armory building as examples of projects that are bringing the campus community and greater Towson community closer together.

“The Towson chamber and all our businesses are so grateful for the strong relationship between uptown and Towson University,” she says.