Buses to and from Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI)

Baltimore-Washington International Airport is one of the busiest and best in North America. It consists of several terminal buildings and runways, and is served by a large number of popular airline carriers, including Southwest Airlines, Cape Air and American Airlines. The airport is known by its IATA code of BWI, and is located approximately 10 miles to the south of Baltimore and 32 miles to the northeast of Washington D.C. It is also known for its exceptional ground transportation options, of which the many Baltimore-Washington International Airport buses are quite popular. Buses offer transport to all areas nearby the airport, and are one of the most cost efficient ways to travel.

The BWI Airport is officially known as the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and has five terminals/concourses for its passenger operations. Concourses A and B, however, have recently been joined by renovations to the buildings, and can be considered as just one terminal now. They are the domestic terminals for Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways, and house many facilities for their passengers. Terminals C and D are also used for domestic arrivals and departures, while Terminal E is the international terminal of the airport, home to airline companies such as British Airways and Bahamasair. Regardless of where passengers arrive, there are options for bus transportation into the nearby cities, such as Baltimore and Washington. There are public buses and private shuttles available, as well as courtesy shuttles from the nearby hotels.

Public bus transportation at Baltimore-Washington International Airport

Since that the airport serves the large metropolitan area of Baltimore and Washington, it is served by public buses from both cities. For connections to Baltimore, passengers can make use of the MTA (Maryland Transit Administration) buses. Route 17 is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and travels to Parkway Centre, Arundel Mills Mall, the Airport 100 Park and the Patapsco Light Rail Stop (when the light rail system of the city is in operation). When there are no light rail services available, the buses travel to downtown Baltimore. There is also a second option available, Route 201, which connects the airport to Burtonsville, Norbeck, Shady Grove station and Gaithersburg. These buses frequent the airport once an hour, from 4am to 6pm in an eastbound direction and from 5am to 11pm in a westbound direction. The bus fare is $5.00.

Furthermore, during weekday peak service hours, the bus Route 99 can be used for a connection to UMBC, CCBC Catonsville, Bloomsbury & Frederick, Rolling & Security Boulevard, Liberty & Milford Mill and the Old Court Metro Subway Station. Within the city, a single and regular fare for local buses, metro subways and light rail will cost $1.60, Express Bus services will cost $2.00 and a neighbourhood shuttle will cost $1.00. Day passes are also available for $3.50 and $3.90, and weekly passes are purchased for $16.50. All further details can be viewed at http://www.mta.maryland.gov.

The BWI Express Metro Bus is operated by WMATA, or the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The bus (B30) takes passengers directly from the airport to the Greenbelt Metro Station. There are two bus stops at the airport, one on the lower level of Concourse E and another on the lower level of Concourses A and B. Passengers can simply follow the signs that read ‘Public Transit’. The BWI Express Metro Bus runs approximately every forty minutes, and may used on weekdays or over weekends. There are twenty-five trips on weekdays and twenty-one trips on Saturdays and Sundays. From the Greenbelt Metro Station, passengers can travel to any of the other Metro Stations in the Washington, D.C, Virginia, Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties. Maps, routes and fare rates can be viewed at http://www.wmata.com.

Further shuttle services at Baltimore-Washington International Airport

The Airport Shuttle is a door-to-door reservation service in the state of Maryland. One shuttle can transport about 7 to ten passengers, and at the airport, passengers can be met at the curb. Go The Airport Shuttle is another service available that provides transport between the BWI Airport, the Washington Dulles Airport and the Ronald Reagan National Airport. Reservations can be made online at http://www.theairportshuttle.com, or passengers can contact the company at 800-776-0323. From an address in Maryland, the following telephone number can be used 410-381-2772.

SuperShuttle is a company known as the leading provider of airport shared-ride services in the world, and is available at the BWI Airport for twenty-four hour transport throughout the states of Maryland, Washington D.C, Annapolis and Northern Virginia. SuperShuttle counters can be found in the baggage claim areas 1 and 10, on the lower levels, and their vans are easily recognised in their blue and yellow colours. The website of SuperShuttle is available at http://www.supershuttle.com.

Further shuttle services are operated by Bayrunner Shuttle and Howard Transit. Howard Transit’s shuttles are available every day of week, and run between Baltimore-Washington Airport and The Mall in Columbia. It is known as the Silver route, and is available hourly. The Bayrunner Shuttles are an excellent way to travel to Kent Island, Easton, Cambridge, Salisbury and Ocean City. Passengers who need to get to Annapolis can take the Route C-60 bus operated by Annapolis Transit.

Courtesy Buses at Baltimore-Washington International Airport

A large number of hotels can be found in the vicinity of the BWI Airport, and many of these places of accommodation offer courtesy transport to and from the airport for their customers. The hotel shuttles of the airport can be found in Zones 1 and 3 of the ground transportation areas.

The Baltimore-Washington International Airport buses are a convenient way to travel to many locations, but passengers could keep in mind that there are also rail services available.