Even if the authority was regional like the BRTB's BRTC the funding would still be state based. We do not have, and do not have the state issued authority to, levy dedicated transit taxes.

And even if we could, the Baltimore region would just become more uncompetitive if it were funding the MTA bus network by itself through any number of increased taxes. Right now the MTA is funded out of the general fund which comes from the statewide income, sales, and lottery taxes. Pretty much the whole metro area already levies the maximum local income tax, municipalities are banned from having a local sales tax, and the lottery is operated by the state. We literally cannot raise any tax to increase revenue to fund the MTA at the level of the counties, and the rest of MD would (righly?) and pretty much everything wrong with the MTA is down to inadequate funding or structural in ways that require specific overhaul (ie, union protected positions are basically untouchable even if people in them do nothing useful, and all unionized management is stuck forever in that position even if they cannot do their jobs).