Mention the term "Shopper's Special" to most people these days, and they're likely to think you're referring to some deal that an online vendor is promoting, or perhaps a promotion at the nearby shopping mall.  In reality however, the Shoppers Specials that once roamed Baltimore were in fact "anti-mall" devices if anything (being that Downtown, for many years, was the ONLY place to truly SHOP!), although they were "online" in a much different way (oftentimes roaming "off-line" in fact).

By the early 1950's, a significant portion of the city's streetcar lines had been converted to buses.  Among the often promoted benefits of the conversions were the operation of "EXPRESS" services that ran non-stop along a portion of the route in order to bring commuters from the outer edges of the line into Downtown a few minutes quicker.  When initially tried, the idea met with a rather strong success.

In the 1950's, the BTC was constantly looking for ways to increase revenues, and saw an opportunity to try to attract the Downtown Shopper into spending a little extra in the interest of getting to and from Downtown more quickly.  Thus,  on January 25, 1953, the BTC began an offering of what was to be called the "SHOPPERS SPECIAL" as an added convenience to the riders of the #3 line.  This service operated during the base period, and was tailored primarily to Housewives, who could use the buses to head Downtown after their Husbands left for work, and returning again in the early afternoon to beat them home.

Buses left from Joppa Road and made all stops along Loch Raven Boulevard until Havenwood Road.  Then the buses would travel non-stop, deviating from the normal #3 line to operate South on Loch Raven to 25th, across to Howard Street, using that to head directly into the Shopping District - making the first stop at Biddle Street.

Initial feedback was favorable; thus on April 20th of 1953, an additional Shoppers Special Service was offered from Mannasota & Erdman Avenues, around the Ravenwood area, then directly into Downtown.  Later, two intermediate stops were added on this service at Lakewood Avenue and Madiera Street, perhaps to serve the shopping areas along the Monument Street Corridor.  This service was operated under route #6, although the majority of its stops were not shared with route #6, but instead route #50.

Operation of these services was a nice success.  BTC, eager to capitalize on the idea, spent the next few years adding services and trips in its Shoppers Special itinerary.  In 1954, three additional services were inaugurated.  First to come would be an interesting service into "uncharted" BTC area on March 8th.  Operating under the auspices of Route #54, the Shoppers Special operation from Milford Mill & Campfield (later Milford Mill & Plymouth) would later prove to be the most successful of all the Shoppers Special Services.  Just weeks later, BTC again expanded into new territory with the inauguration of service to Yale & Eldone Avenues in Yale Heights along the general route of the #12 line, as well as the enhancement of existing service with the addition of a West Edmondale service on route #20.   Both of these operations began service on March 29th.

As the year progressed, most of the then five routes grew increasingly popular - so much so that the BTC quickly looked into adding additional trips to make the service even more attractive and convenient.  Route #54 had an extra outbound trip added on July 26th.  Route #3 saw two more inbound trips and three more outbound trips implemented as of Thursday, November 11, 1954.  On the same day, A Special trip leaving Charles & Baltimore at 9:10pm was added which was to operate on Monday and Thursday nights only bound for Baynesvile.  Route #54 also saw an additional two round trips added to its schedule, as well as a 9:05pm trip from Charles & Baltimore on Shopping nights.  Two days later, Saturday service was initiated with the addition of two round trips on both the #3 and #54 lines.  Just one month later, as the Holiday season reigned heavy, the BTC expanded the night bus to operate on Fridays as well, while an additional inbound trip on the #6 line was added to ease the loads on the 10:00am bus.  From every way of looking at it, the Shoppers Special program was indeed successful.

An August 1955 summary of the Shoppers Special Services show all of them as being quite profitable, even in spite of their rapid expansion from 1954.  Details of this summary are as follows:

• Route 3 Baynesville - Eight inbound , six outbound trips - Average of 26 riders/trip with 196% Farebox Recovery.
• Route 6 Mannasota - Two inbound, two outbound trips - Average of 21 riders/trip with 208% Farebox Recovery.
• Route 12 Yale Heights - Two inbound, two outbound trips -Average of 14 riders/trip with 145% Farebox Recovery.
• Route 20 West Edmondale - Two inbound, two outbound trips - Average of 24 riders/trip with 212% Farebox Recovery.
• Route 54Milford Mill - Five inbound, four outbound trips - Average of 34 riders/trip with 221% Farebox Recovery.

In November of 1955, an additional trip was added to the #20 line, to be operated only for the Holiday season.  And although no new services were added in 1955, aside from the change in operation of the Milford Mill Service to operate under the "#7" moniker (due to the absorbtion of the #54 into the #32), this would be more than made up for during 1956.

The year 1956 would see more Shoppers Special services added to it than any other, as an ambitious BTC looked to capitalize on its new revenue generator.   First of the new services to debut was the #28 line service to Riverview.  Just one week later, even more was to come.  If June of 1947 witnessed "M-Day," May of 1956 was certainly witness to "S-Day" as on the 7th, several new Shoppers Special Routes were inaugurated on a trial basis.  Route #5 got is own Shoppers Special to Park Heights & Slade, Route #6 saw new service to Curtis Bay, Route #16 received a Shoppers Special, while Route #20 saw a Dundalk Service added.  Later on in the year, newly converted Route #19 would also have Shoppers Special Service initialized, though not on a trial basis.

The trial basis of new services was far less successful than the original set of routes.  Citing a lack of patronage, the BTC petitioned the PSC to eliminate the service on the 5, 6 and the 20-Dundalk Service. The company was also less than pleased with the performance of the #16 line operation, and sought to eliminate that service as well.  The PSC approved the discontinuation of the #16 and #20-Dundalk operations, but still sought to further try the continued operation of the #5 and #6-Curtis Bay.  Thus, with the completion of operations on January 12, 1957, the Shoppers Special Service on the #16, as well the East end of the #20, was eliminated.

The operations on the #5 and #6 lines eventually continued beyond the trial period, but were never truly successful as some of the initial routes were, never garnering more than the initial single round trip on any succeeding schedule.   In 1958, the extension of the #20 line into Westview Park allowed the operation of one of the two round trips to operated along the entire line, thus creating the only "Short Turn" of any Shoppers Special operation.

By 1959, the pattern of the Shoppers Special Operations had been pretty much stabilized.  Gone were the days of rapidly expanding trips that the BTC had witnessed just five years earlier.  Route #12 was absorbed by Route #3 on the Southern end, thus resulting in the redesignation of the Yale Heights Shoppers Special under Route #3.  In 1963, the Shoppers Special program witnessed its last expansion of Daylight operation, when a new branch of bus route #19 to Harford & McClean began operating a Shoppers Special Service, augmenting the already existing Fairdel service.

Sadly, however, the era of the Shoppers Special began to decline.  Transit ridership had dropped throughout the 1950's, the effects of which were felt throughout the system.  In addition, the Downtown area faced increased competition as Shopping Centers were built in outlying areas, such as Edmondson Village and York & Belvedere, thus eliminating the need for many to travel downtown to shop.  As unfortunate as this is, it seems that many of the Downtown establishments dug their own grave.  Despite changing demographics, many Downtown stores would not do business with African-American clientele.  Of the major department stores, only Hutzler's had no color barrier.  These stubborn and ignorant policies of discrimination could certainly be seen as a major reason for the drop in business in the Downtown area.

A 1959 BTC summary of services indicate 45 Shoppers Special trips being operated.  By 1969, this would be reduced to 19.  The 1960's saw numerous petitions to the PSC by BTC seeking to eliminate service on its Shoppers Special routes.  On March 16, 1965, the BTC filed with the PSC to eliminate both the Yale Heights and Riverview operations.  First to win approval was the Yale Heights service, which last ran on May 20, 1966.  The PSC denied the request to drop the Riverview service, rightfully citing the lengthy headways that would serve as an inconvenience to its patrons.

The year 1967 saw the BTC again petitioning to eliminate service on the Shoppers Special.  This time, the target was the Curtis Bay service, which had already seen its return service in the PM dropped by this time.  A June 1967 passenger check found an average of only 9 patrons a day using the sole 10:15am bus from Curtis Bay.  BTC originally sought immediate discontinuance of this service, but had to wait until the Fall Schedule change to implement this cut.

As mentioned earlier, by 1969, the number of Shoppers Specials operating was down to just 19 weekday trips.  This would come in large part as a result of the elimination of 18 trips in the Summer Schedule change of 1969.  Comparisons of service levels are included in a chart below. The massive cuts of 1969 would finally result in the elimination of service on the #28 to Riverview, while leaving the #5, 6, and 20 without P.M. return service.  In addition, 13 Saturday trips were cut, resulting in even further reductions in service.

Regarding the Shopper's Night Specials, an interesting addition was made to the Shoppers Special services during the 1970's.  First, the Specials on the #3 and #7 lines were operated five days a week during the Holiday Shopping Season of 1971.  By this time, the zone of the Milford Mill route's evening operation was changed to make intermediate stops at Mondawmin, Druid Park Drive, Hilton Street, and Garrison Boulevard, and the end of the route was now Milford Mill and Reisterstown Roads.  Secondly, an additional night special was added to the #28 line service to Randallstown (designated 28-150 block).

Interestingly, this operation was a success for a time.  In June of 1978, a review of MTA rider checks reveals the #3 line night Special averaging 9 patrons, the #7 line Special averaging 2 riders, while the #28 line special was averaging a healthy 25 passengers a trip.  Thus, with this, the #3 and #7 Night Specials were ultimately ran their last lonely trips on June 15, 1978.  It is not known how much longer the Evening trip on the #28 line continued to operate.

While the concept of the Shoppers Special would certainly appear to have been in certain decline by the 1970's, there was at least one look at reviving the idea.  A March 5, 1974 correspondence details a number of suggested additions to the program, coinciding with new store hours of the Downtown merchants.  Included in this proposal are a number of Evening Specials (leaving Downtown just after 6:00pm) as well as a number of additional routes to be run into town in the Morning.  While doubtful that this ambitious plan was even somewhat adopted (aside from the possible 28), its implementation would have resulted in the following breakdown:

3 Baynesville - 3 AM in, 3 PM out, and 2 evening out
5 Pikesville - 2 AM in, 2 evening out
5 Cedonia - 2 AM in, 2 evening out
6 Mannasota & Erdman - 1 AM in, 1 evening out
6 Curtis Bay - 1 AM in, 1 evening out
8 Goucher & Loch Raven - 1 AM in, 1 evening out
8 Cockeysville - 1 AM in, 1 evening out
8 Paradise via Yale Heights - 1 AM in, 1 evening out
10 Mount Washington - 1 AM in, 1 evening out
10 Sollers Point - 1 AM in, 2 evening out
12 GEM East - 1 AM in, 1 evening out
15 Perry Hall - 1 AM in, 1 evening out
19 Fairdel - 1 AM in, 1 PM out, and 2 evening out
19 McClean - 1 AM in, 1 PM out, and 2 evening out
19 Carney - 1 AM in, 1 evening out
20 Westview - 1 AM in, 1 evening out
23 Middle River - 1 AM in, 2 evening out
28 Liberty & Old Court - 1 AM in, 1 evening out
28 Carriage Hill - 1 evening out (may have been implemented as the aforementioned 28-150

• 35 Wilann & Hazelwood - 1 AM in, 1 evening out

Judging from the summary included with this proposal, it appears that the #7 line service had been discontinued by this time, save for the Monday and Thursday evening trip.  In fact, it appears that only 12 weekday trips were being operated, while Saturday service had likely been altogether dropped on all but the #3 line.

The surviving operations by 1975 were the #3, 6, 19, and 20.  Route #3 and #19 still had respectable operations, while that on the #6 and #20 were simply inbound AM trips only, with no return trip in the evening.  Cancellation of these services was growing imminent, yet the actual discontinuance of most of them proves to be a mystery.  The Mannasota Special on route #6 appears to have lasted until the end of route #6 operations in June of 1977, and was apparently picked up by the subsequent #62 line that replaced the Monument Street portion of the line, for at least a short time.  Route #19 appears to have lasted until at least 1977, and perhaps as late as 1980.  Meanwhile, the isolated inbound operation of the #20 line seems to have held on until at least 1980, perhaps until 1982, as a freshly redesigned #20 schedule of that vinatage does contain the indicative "S" in its Footnotes Box, although no trip listed showing such an operation.

Less enigmatic is the last of the breed - route #3.  This relic continued to hang on through the 1980s and beyond, with a somewhat loyal group of regulars for years.  By the mid-1980's the service had been reduced from six trips to two, one inbound from Baynesville at 10:37am, with the return now leaving Charles and Redwood at 3:31pm.  In the later years however, the number of regulars began to dwindle, thanks in large part to frequent diversions onto Eutaw Street as Howard Street was continually being torn up for one reason or another.

The axe finally fell as the area hit a recession in the early 1990's.  Shoppers Special Service on the #3 bowed out with the schedule change of January 30, 1992.  Coach #8426 made the last voyage up to (now) Cromwell Bridge Road with about a dozen patrons aboard who were about to miss their quick ride home that they once enjoyed.  Downtown, now devoid of its Grand Dame Department Stores since 1989 and earlier, could not compete with the Suburban Malls, and no convenience, not even a Shoppers Special, could by this time help to restore it to its former glory.

 

Route:

Destination:

Service:

Started:

Ended:

1955

1959

1969

1974

3*

Baynesville

Weekday

1-25-53

1-28-92

8 in

6 out

10 in

5 out

3 in

3 out

3 in

3 out

Saturday

11-6-54

ca. 1976

1 in

1 out

5 in

4 out

2 in

2 out

2 in

2 out

Yale Heights@

Weekday

3-29-54

5-20-66

2 in

2 out

1 in

1 out

x

x

x

x

5

Slade Avenue

Weekday

5-7-56

ca. 1970

x

x

1 in

1 out

1 in

0 out

x

x

Saturday

5-12-56

6/69

x

x

1 in

1 out

1 in

0 out

x

x

6

Mannasota~

Weekday

4-20-53

ca. 1979

2 in

2 out

2 in

1 out

1 in

0 out

1 in

0 out

Curtis Bay

Weekday

5-7-56

9-67

x

x

1 in

1 out

x

x

x

x

Saturday

5-12-56

1966?

x

x

1 in

1 out

x

x

x

x

7*

Milford Mill%

Weekday

3-8-54

6-15-78

5 in

4 out

6 in

5 out

3 in

3 out

x

1 out

Saturday

11-6-54

1971?

1 in

1 out

4 in

3 out

2 in

2 out

x

x

16

Madison Ave.

Weekday

5-7-56

1-11-57

S

E

E

T

E

X

T

Saturday

5-12-56

1-12-57

S

E

E

T

E

X

T

19

Fairdel

Weekday

1956

ca. 1979

x

x

2 in

2 out

1 in

1 out

1 in

1 out

Saturday

1956

ca. 1975

x

x

2 in

2 out

1 in

1 out

1 in

1 out

Marietta

Weekday

1963

ca. 1979

x

x

x

x

1 in

1 out

1 in

1 out

20

Westview

Weekday

3-29-54

ca. 1982

2 in

2 out

2 in

2 out

1 in

0 out

1 in

0 out

Dundalk

Weekday

5-7-56

1-11-57

S

E

E

T

E

X

T

Saturday

5-12-56

1-12-57

S

E

E

T

E

X

T

28#

Riverview

Weekday

4-30-56

6/69

x

x

1 in

1 out

x

x

x

x

Saturday

5-5-56

6/69

x

x

1 in

1 out

x

x

x

x

FOOTNOTES TO CHART:
* - OPERATED A MONDAY AND THURSDAY EVENING OUTBOUND  TRIP AS WELL FROM 11/11/54 UNTIL 6/15/78
# - OPERATED OUTBOUND TRIP TO RANDALLSTOWN ON MONDAY AND THURSDAY EVENINGS FROM ABOUT 1970 TO 1980
@ - YALE HEIGHTS #3 RAN UNDER ROUTE #12 UNTIL 1959
% - MILFORD MILL #7 RAN UNDER ROUTE #54 UNTIL 1955, AND WAS DISPLAYED AS ROUTE #28 FROM 4/29/63 ON.
~ - MANNASOTA #6 RAN UNDER #62 FROM 1977 ON.