As a regular commuter on the 201 bus, I am increasingly frustrated with the unreliable service. Some riders have mentioned rude or unhelpful dispatch staff, and I have experienced similar issues myself. The buses are often more than 20 minutes late, or sometimes do not show up at all--such as the No. 9 bus today (from Gaithersburg to BWI). In practically, it seems that the dispatch staff in Dillon may not have received proper professional training. The dispatchers are frequently rude and do not provide accurate information or offer apologies for service disruptions. I have reported these issues to the MVA multiple times. I sincerely hope that Dillon will address these concerns and improve the service as promised. read more

Second time in a month that the bus did not come to Warner St!! the first time the driver refused to come to the stop. they made a two point turn (yes, in a bus) and left without picking up any passengers. I had to chase the bus down to HQ near Arundel Mills. I filed a complaint but never received any follow up with management. this time, I arrived at Warner St at 12:30 (bus leaves at 12:34). I was informed by MTA at 12:44 that the bus was at BWI airport. The station and the airport are about 15 minutes away, meaning the bus left way ahead of schedule. Dillons automated message says their arrival dispatch is open 24/7 but I called 18 times and got NO ONE! Not even after trying extensions. I've left several voicemails. ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE SERVICE AND COMPANY! MDOT/MTA should find another contractor to charter with. read more

The one thing you need from a bus service is for the bus to show up. Dillons has left me standing in the cold more times than I can count.

On Sunday 4/27/2014, bus #65429, license plate 016-P15, was driving recklessly and ridiculously close to my car rear, switching lanes rapidly to pass me. The driver was unable to do so because the traffic was not very light and just stayed close. I was already speeding to keep space between my car and the bus and the driver just sped up more. Not only that, but when I had to slow down due to traffic slowing down, the driver nearly hit my rear and honked and cursed at me, as if I had control over traffic. Quickly after, the driver switched lanes and switched back into my lane, nearly smashing my car into the construction railings and FLIPPED ME OFF WHILE DOING IT. I called the company to report the driver and snapped a picture of the back of the bus. They never apologized and have yet to call me back. This driver nearly killed me and caused an accident while driving recklessly, not to mention she was incredibly rude. While I have no used this bus service, I would still not recommend it based on this horrible experience. DO NOT USE THIS BUS SERVICE. read more

Dillons Bus Service - Bus that nearly smashed my car due to reckless driving. - Travel Services Near Me - Hanover, Maryland

So, Dillons is going to significantly raise their prices effective 25 June 2015. I hope they also raise their quality of buses and service. Overall, I have to say that I love not needing to drive or take the Metro into DC. But if the cost gets much higher after this raise, it's going to defeat the purpose and savings of me not Metroing. As others say, lots of times they'll be late--as in 10 mins or more--and still expect you to pay. Sometimes a driver has some sense and doesn't charge. Other fewer times, they come early...and if it's just a neighborhood stop rather than a park-and-ride stop, you better be there early too or they'll just fly by! The buses break down a lot. The mechanics are jokes. They don't actually fix the buses, they just rig up the bus so it temporarily works. Or they even claim the problem that the driver had doesn't exist and return the bus. If Dillons wants to improve their financials, they should hire some REAL mechanics. Dillons doesn't really have much incentive to improve their customer service. They are the only bus option from MD to DC. You go ahead and get mad and say you'll drive in or Metro in to DC, but that only costs you more in the long-run (and your sanity of dealing with traffic yourself). Tip-- Consider doing the math on getting 10-trip passes rather than monthly. In some cases, it could be cheaper over time. I have a flex schedule and work 4 days a week...that's 5 days of a month at least that I don't go in. Or if you take vacation, that's days wasted on a month pass. Or a snow day. Or...they give you that rare freebie ride! read more

This company STOLE $400 from Cub Scouts. Because of the Corona Virus, our troop was forced to cancel our May 2020 trip. We cancelled 2 months early (contract stipulates that as long as you cancel 1 month early that your deposit will be refunded). We were told that they are "no longer giving refunds due to the crisis". We explained to them that that is called stealing and that this was 20% of the Cub Scout troops money for the entire year and that they 6-12 year olds had spent many many hours working and volunteering in order to raise it. We are all effected by the virus. That doesn't give a company the right to just steal deposit money. read more

Rediculous! Take this bus with few problems . . . . but unfortunately those were not the day I'm writing a review . . . . today is. I was catching the last bus of the evening and got to the stop about 10 minutes ahead of time. Being a Friday I was the only one at the stop and pleasantly surprised to see the bus arriving on time. Unfortunately it blew right by without even pulling into the near lane. (I guess the driver didn't see me . . . . I was the guy waving my arms and a bright yellow backpack in the air like an idiot.) I called dispatch immediately and to their credit they called dispatch and had the bus come back around. I was told the bus was waiting for me 3 blocks back at an earlier stop and to walk there. No problem, figuring it would be turning before my stop to take a more direct route to the stops after mine. NOPE . . . . we went right past my stop. The driver even pulled over to the curb even though there really was no one there this time. (I guess making me walk 3 blocks in the ran was just because the driver thought I needed the exercise.) read more

Shameful to use a bus on a hot day with no a/c or even a fan! Treat your full fare paying passengers with the respect they deserve!

If I could give this bus service a negative star, I would. It's the hottest day of the year so far and this bus has no air conditioning. My commute is about an hour and a half. The bus driver never said a word about it just let everyone get on like it's no big deal. I can get past the fact that I stopped expecting this bus to be on time in the evenings but to have a bus come 8 minutes early then the next bus is 13 minutes late is unacceptable. Get it together Dillon's read more

Writing this review because I wish that I had some advice when deciding how to make my commute from Howard county to Baltimore each day. This review is specifically about the 310 commuter bus service from Columbia to Baltimore which I have taken for the past two weeks. My experience has been largely positive so far, but I think there are a few things people should know before hand. My main issue is one that is obvious and unfortunately completely unavoidable. The timetables are almost never correct because of traffic. The posted arrival times seem highly idealized. You should expect to be up to 15 minutes later than the time listed (maybe less if you are one of the first stops). The bus also left 10 minutes late one day from the park and ride which made me angry. From talking to other passengers this seems to be a rare issue- you can generally expect to leave on time, no earlier & no later. The drivers are nice and seem to know all the 'regulars'. Some drive a little more aggressively than others but all have seemed efficient AND safe so far. The passengers have been a mixed bag. Most keep to themselves which is great for getting in some work or sleep. Others talk on their cell phone loudly or want to know your life story. Depending on how crowded the bus is, sometimes you can get a double-seat to yourself which is ideal. Sit near the back to score your own seat! Some bus times are more crowded than others. The number of riders on the same time-slot has also varied quite a bit day to day. I've been taking the 7:30AM morning ride which is only about half full. I took the ride home at several different times - the last ride leaving Hopkins at 5:35PM ended up being quite full on some days. I'm not sure what they do if the last bus is full at the last stop (since I'm the first stop it's not an issue for me) but I could see how that could become an issue. Another issue is that the last bus leaves at 5:35PM. I wish I had the option to leave a little later. The price seems a little high, but still saves quite a bit over paying for gas & parking. The monthly pass saves you a little but I figured the savings would have been more over the individual ticket price. Also no student discount - there are student discounts for ALL other MTA services but the commuter bus?! That's it for now- I will update if my sentiments change. So far I love not driving but I think I would ultimately make it to my destination faster if I drove myself. The major issue for me is the variability in the arrival time in the morning, but I would have the same problems with traffic if I was driving myself. If you hate driving and are OK planning around the bus schedule, this is a great option! read more

I too decided that the metro was no longer worth the daily headache so the commuter bus, operated by Dillons seemed like the best choice. For $170 a month, I can get to and from work within 90 minutes and free parking. Unfortunately that's where the pros end. (1) Dillon's manager/higher ups/people in charge decide the temperature on the bus, not the driver. This means that if it's going to be 80 degrees at 5pm but 35 degrees in the morning. The AC will get blasted. Heat is almost nonexistent and I've emailed said manager/person in charge multiple times about this. In fact, last week the bus was SO cold I got off and took the metro. Their entire temperature process is actually dumb and I recommend blowing up the said manager's inbox with the specific bus/trip number to complain about it. (2) The posted times are an estimate at best. Sometimes you get lucky sometimes not. If you need to be somewhere at a specific time either leave 30 minutes early or take the metro. They should make the bus locations accessible to customers but that's too much like the right thing to do apparently. (3) Last week, I got on the bus and it smelled like the septic tank completely exploded. Extremely unacceptable. On top of that, I overheard the bus driver on the phone complaining about it and she mentioned it to the manager/person in charge there was nothing that they WOULD do about. Despite the persistent issues, I can't afford any other commuting option. But I will continue to email and complain because someone will listen. Eventually. And to the passengers, there is a commuter bus courtesy article on the MTA website. Read it, respect it. Some of the passengers that take the bus are the most inconsiderate people I've ever met. read more

We had a group traveling from Harford Co to Manhattan Cruise Terminal one Sunday and then back to HarCo the next. Eddie was great!!!! He was early both times and a super driver. Both friendly and professional, Eddie and Dillion's was a great addition to our trip. We would definitely use him again. Thank you Eddie for making our transportation easy and stress-free!!!!! read more

950 Afternoon/evening routes are totally unreliable. Some buses are late others don't show up at all read more

Absolute worst service ever. They could care less if you get home or not. Buses are rarely on time. Horrible!!

Awful service. It's almost 80 degrees outside today and there is NO VENTILATION on in the bus. It's like and oven in here and I have a 1 hour and 15 minute ride to the Eastern Shore. These guys are almost always late, at least 15-20 minutes. The other day I was waiting for the 5:31 bus and guess what time it showed up? 6:28, almost one hour late. During my wait for the bus, I called disbatch and the person who answered said they don't normally work that shift and wasn't really sure where the bus was at that time. I had one morning on the way in, which should take around 1 hour 15 minutes that took almost 2 1/2 hours because the bus driver got lost and started taking us on other bus routes. Unfortunately for me there isn't much competition so I have to continue suffering on these pieces of crap buses. read more

Buses constantly late. Rude drivers. Vehicles not maintained, most of the seats are broken. Buses on fire and smoke pouring into the cabin and drivers told to keep driving. No heat in the winter. No AC in the summer. Buses that don't show up at all. No updates or explanations provided. Horrible service and a horrible company! read more

I really wish I didn't have to give them any stars. So my son's school went on a field trip to Hershey Park which is a 2 hour trip up and 2 hours back. So one group gets home at 9:15pm but the other group doesn't get back until after 10:00pm because they had to stop at a rest stop to get water and air and then again because one girl had passed out because the bus didn't have air conditioning. The day starts at 5am and the bus driver pulls up knowing the A/C is not working. The teacher said they needed to figure a way to get another bus available. So they were going to switch it out with another one or something to that effect. So the kids played at the park and competed in their concert for band and chorus. The day was long and hot. They get to the bus and it's the same one with no air conditioning. So can you imagine a 90+ degree day after running around pllaying and sweating only to get on a e sick, had headaches and the driver did have the windows down but then closed them all before they left. We parents paid a lot of money for this bus and were given this kind of service. I'm glad the school has decided to never use this company again. Incidents happen, we understand that, but this should have been fixed first thing. read more

The buses are consistently late. If you are always 10 to 20 minutes late, why not adjust your shedule times?

Why can't we have zero stars? This bus service is the WORST. Disabled bus goes out one day back in service next day breaks down again. No communication from the driver. Another bus pulls up like they are going to pick us up and bam, drives off without us. Stranded. This happens all the time and I don't know how MTA keeps awarding this contract to them. No AC or no heat or no seats or broken seats or broken busses or way behind schedule. You can never ever count on being home on time. Ever. Terrible. Fire everyone and train your drivers to talk. read more

The 250 bus in the morning is on time. The 250 bus in the evening is worthless. I can get to work but I can't get home. What's the point?

As a former driver from this company let me tell you a few things and I totally agree with you all. First of all the company was brought out by Coach USA and then by the Stagecoach Group based in the UK. Coach USA went bankrupt and then Stagecoach group brought them. Their USA HQ is in NJ right across the river from NYC. Manly the mentality of HQ is if they could they would do away with charters and run line runs only. When a bus breaks down if the repair is over a certon amount they have to get permission to spend the $$ to fix it. Also the A/C on a buss will only cool down 20° from the outside temp. That is law of physics as well. Every time you open the door all the A/C will go out and have to start all over again to cool the bus down as well. They do not pay very well and that saying goes you get what you pay for as well. Traffic does play a large part of the buses running late also. The company that owns Dillon's also own Mega Bus that you see going to NYC and back again also. I left them because trouble with management and their corporate doctors who would not even talk to me about my medical situation as well even tho i had a US DOT Medical Card. IMO the people who run the company do not even drive a bus in heavy traffic and could care less about the passengers, all they want is the bus to run and make $$ on the line runs. read more