If you grew up in Westport in the 1970s, the image — even the sound — is indelible: a fleet of Mercedes buses, meeting at a Jesup Green hub and then put-putting all around town.
If you were not around then, it’s hard to imagine: Our town had one of the most innovative suburban transportation systems in the country.
Even more improbable was the background of the man who built it.
Rich Bradley arrived in Westport in the 1965. Norm Flint — the principal of soon-to-open Coleytown Junior High School — recruited the young English major straight off the Cornell University campus.
Rich Bradley, in the 1969 Staples yearbook.
Bradley spent 2 years teaching English at the brand new school, then 2 more at Staples.
It was a time of educational and political ferment. The high school’s “Experimental English” curriculum encouraged students to design their own course.
Bradley was in the middle of it. “They couldn’t decide if they wanted to fire me or make me assistant superintendent,” he laughs.
He was as involved outside of school as in. With Tony and Joanna Nicholson, and Jim and Do Bacharach, he helped found the Intercommunity Camp. Each summer, youngsters from Westport, Weston, Norwalk and Bridgeport came together for fun and friendship.
Bradley also joined the Youth-Adult Council. A town body (and the forerunner of today’s Youth Commission), it tackled serious issues like drugs and runaways.
And transportation.
In the early ’70s, young people relied on parents — and hitchhiking — to get around town. Some older residents did not drive. Some homes had only one car. The railroad station parking lots were full.
It took 2 years. But with the strong support of the Representative Town Meeting, the Westport Transit District was created.
Rich Bradley was its director. One of his first tasks was obtaining federal and state grants to buy buses. The town agreed to pay operating costs.
Bradley helped devise routes. Each bus had its own 35-minute loop, beginning and ending at Jesup Green.
(As Mercedes buses, they were easy targets for mockery. However, Bradley says, they did not cost more than other buses. Officials also looked at electric buses, but batteries had to be charged every 40 miles.)
The Minnybus system was “fresh — progressive and innovative,” Bradley — who now lives in Washington, DC — recalls.
“It solved environmental, social and economic needs.”
It also incurred the wrath of the Gilbertie family, who ran the town’s taxis. Though Transit District officials tried to integrate them into the system, they were uninterested. They filed several lawsuits, which took years to resolve.
A Minnybus, at the Jesup Green hub.
After a few years, Bradley was hired by the Greater Bridgeport Transit District. Two years later, Governor Ella Grasso asked him to be Connecticut’s deputy director of transportation, with the charge: “Westport-ize the state” — but without much money.
Bradley then ran Hartford’s Downtown Council, before moving to Washington where he headed the International Downtown Association.
For the next 20 years, as founding executive director of the Downtown DC Business Improvement District, he facilitated over $35 billion of public-private investment into transforming abandoned buildings and parking lots into the third largest central business in the country. He repositioned the National Cherry Blossom Festival as the city’s premiere cultural event, was involved in the construction of the Convention Center, and helped lure the Nationals baseball team from Montreal.
Rich Bradley proudly sports a Washington Nationals cap.
Today, Bradley is a principal of The Urban Partnership, (with his wife, noted urbanist Ellen McCarthy), and serves on the faculty of Georgetown University’s Urban & Regional Planning program.
But Bradley has not forgotten his Westport roots (or routes). He visits his former Cornell friend Steve Halstead regularly.
He has watched the town’s “trials and tribulations” as it built the new Staples High and YMCA (Halstead served on the Board of Education, and was chair of the Y Building Committee. His wife Rosemary is a Y trustee). Both changes were beneficial for many residents, Bradley says.
He also watches Westport from his vantage point as a Georgetown professor, whose “Place Management and Place Making” course examines the importance of public spaces.
“Westport always had a vital center,” he says, referring to downtown. “The future of suburbs — and cities — is being walkable.”
Westport Minnybus at Jesup Green, back in the day.
Calling Westport “intensely developed,” while still retaining “substantial vitality,” he believes the town still offers opportunities to “put your car away, and walk around.”
The Minnybus system did that, Bradley notes.
The Minnybus system gave freedom to kids — and taught them responsibility.
From what he sees, Westport has done “a good job of accommodating its character and values.”
We no longer have a Minnybus (or its cousin the Maxytaxys, which picked up riders on demand, then picked up others as it meandered along to different destinations).
We are, meanwhile, engaged in a long debate over the future of parking all around downtown — including Jesup Green.
Where, half a century ago, Mercedes buses loaded and dropped off grateful, car-less passengers.
(“06880” covers Westport — its yesterday, today and tomorrow. If you enjoy our work, please click here to support this hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
Dan, was Ross Burkhardt not involved, as well, in the mini bus origination?
Fabulous story. Thank you Dan And Mr. Bradley.We moved to Westport in 1996… we purposefully moved near town for the YMCA, we were lucky to have a baseball field, not far from the house as well. I was thrilled to have the Westport transit bus system available to my children as they became working age, and could take the bus from Staples to downtown not only for extracurricular activities at the YMCA but also for the jobs they had … At one point the bus also came close enough to the house that it would accommodate rides to the train station as well … it was great in so many ways We also had a downtown cinema for our first five years here it was terrific . We always love and still appreciate all of the fabulous recreational and educational facilities, and always do our best to support local💃👩🎨
What a remarkable career! And Holy Cow! I don’t think I knew Rich was just out of college when he was my English teacher at Coleytown Junior High.
What’s not included in this fascinating piece is that, in his role at the Youth-Adult Council, Rich was also quite active in Westport’s music scene.
In the summer of 1969—a month before Woodstock—the YAC was already promoting its own “Westport Pop Festival” at Staples featuring local bands; the organizers included classmates Brian Keane and Bubba Barton. And there were also smaller music events—“Coffee House”—again featuring local bands and held at local churches.
And then, for a couple of years starting in I think 1971, Rich and the YAC sponsored/promoted concerts featuring some name performers including Delaney & Bonnie, the Byrds, and Sha Na Na. (Rich, I imagine you have some memories of the Country Joe event.)
In any case, kudos to Rich for all of his good work!
I am thrilled to read this! Rich Bradley and Treavor Cushman at Coleytown significant impacted who I am today. My gratitude is huge. The books we read and the discussions would never be allowed today and they were inspirational! Special special man!!
Very insightful to learn about past success and inspiration for how we shape the future taking both convineince and accessibility for the future. Thank you for writing this. could not stop once I started.
The Minnybus rocked! What an incredible gift to Westport. I didn’t realize that the Minnybus was innovative at the time.
Next stop … EV minnybus
Wow! Great story. No idea he went on to such an illustrious career after Westport. I had Rich for JHS English, along with you, Fred, and many others, when Coleytown opened. I clearly remember him reading one of my essays out loud during a class, pointing out my misuse of ‘there’ when I should have written ‘they’re.’ Quite embarrassing for a young teenager! Ironic that I later co-founded two magazines and became an editor and a group publisher.
Re: The Youth Adult Council. If memory serves, Brian Keane’s mother (Winifred) made the Coffee House connection with Rich – don’t know how – and Brian recruited me (sound and lights, plus production on the goofy commercials we’d run over the Staples PA system every morning), David Barton (aka: Bubba – food and drinks), Guy Rabut (graphics for the amazing posters he silk screened) and various others to put together and run the things, initially at the Saugatuck Congregational Church basement, then downstairs at what is now City Hall. This after that initial rock concert, which may have funded the start of the Coffee Houses. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong on this history). We were paid $50 a week by the YAC – big money for sixteen year olds in the Sixties. The weekly shows, courtesy of Brian’s booking efforts, hosted performances by Charlie Karp, Brian’s ‘Dover Road Gang’ bands (including Walt Amey – gtr and vox, Bubba on drums, Rob on bass, and numerous others), Dusty Mathews, John Plantinga and a host of local and regional performers. It was great for us Class of ’71 kids to be involved in something so creative as juniors and seniors in HS, then again during the summer after our first year of college. Westport was well ahead of everyone else in engaging its youth, no doubt motivated to ‘keep them off the streets’ during those tumultuous late Sixties.
Mike, thanks for the additional info re that YAC music scene. I know Brian has some posters of those happenings from back in the day.
Thank you for this Dan. I love hearing stories about our history – people and places.
As a student at Staples High in the 70’s, I loved the mini busses for getting around town! We had moved here from Long Island where we relied on our parents to get us places. I loved the independence.
Is not the Minnybus something whose time has come again?
The Minnybus came into service too late in my youth to impact my life. I think it’s reappearance as an updated sustainable conveyance could go a long way toward solving a variety of problems currently confounding the town.
Mr. Bradley was
Mr. Bradley was one of the best teachers I ever had. He taught us to how to write and how to think critically. He became a mentor and started an after-school “discussion group”. Our small group had a special bond and became a safe place for us insecure eighth graders. He took us on a field trip to see the original “Man of La Mancha” on Broadway. I’m so glad to hear of his accomplishments following his career as a teacher, and would love to see him again. I am forever grateful to him.
The Minnybus is the reason we moved to Westport from the City in 1974. With three kids, I was not accustomed to taking them here and there. The kids could ride their bikes or walk to the playground or to their friend’s house after school. The Minnybus eased my fears about moving to a suburb and becoming a chauffeur for my kids. They took it to the Y after school and my husband took it to the train station. And I, a rare at the time, working mom was free to pursue my career. All thanks to the Minnybus.
Such a great story, Dan! The Minnybus allowed all of us to get home from Coleytown sports practice, took us to the beach and downtown, and to friends’ houses all over town. Our Saturdays were scheduled around the routes and times (“I’ll meet you on the #7 1:35 bus.”) We relished the independence and I’m sure our parents did, too. I laughed when I saw Rick Davis’ pass featured. Are you in touch with him?!