Tag Archives: Westport Transit District

Trains Suck, But Transit District Ridership Soars

Posted on February 26, 2014 | 8 comments

It’s one bit of good news on the commuter front: Though Westporters suffer daily woes on Metro-North trains, many more folks ride Westport Transit District buses to board them.

Combined with after-school increases, the WTD projects a near 11% rise in riders this year. After a decade of dwindling numbers — both a cause and effect of funding and service cuts — that’s impressive news indeed.

From July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013, the WTD carried 63,000 riders. This year, it’s on track for 70,000. And that includes 3 weeks when Metro-North’s worst woes kept nearly everyone off the rails.

The ridership increases work out to 8.5% for fixed-route commuter buses, and 40% in after-school riders. One of the key after-school routes is to Earthplace, where several dozen students have internships.

A Westport transit bus makes a pickup at Saugatuck station.

A Westport transit bus makes a pickup at Saugatuck station.

Jim Ross — chair of the Westport Citizens Transit Committee — ties much of the increase to the “huge efforts” of unpaid transit directors Jennifer Johnson and Gene Cedarbaum.

“They’ve single-handedly upped the WTD’s game by tirelessly working with state, town and business communities to raise awareness and support,” Ross says.

He also cites a “smart, cost-effective marketing effort” that includes internet and social media efforts, new route and schedule brochures, train station signage, and community outreach programs.

Today, for example, the WTD is handing out brochures — and free coffee — at Westport’s train stations.

The Westport bus shuttle map.

The Westport bus shuttle map.

Early next month, they’ll unveil a “transit info kiosk” at the Senior Center. It will contain brochures and information about all Westport transportation options, from WTD buses to shared-ride services and taxis.

“We haven’t reinvented the wheel,” Ross says. (It’s unclear whether his pun was intentional or not.)

“But this is a bit of proof that if we get information out to people, they realize there’s a need. This isn’t the Friends of the Library. It’s not a charity. It’s public transportation, which is as un-sexy as it gets. But it is a service. Citizens are showing that they want it.

“If town officials really commit to this — if they move from a discussion of ‘Should we have it?’ to ‘This is a town gem’ — we can really move forward.”

As budget season begins, the wheels on Westport’s bus service are clearly on a roll.

8 Comments

Posted in Environment, Local politics, Organizations, People, Transportation

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Evan Barr: Save Our Commuter Bus Routes!

Posted on April 10, 2012 | 24 comments

Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 11, 8 p.m., Town Hall), the Board of Finance votes on restoration of $113,000 to the $248,000 budget for the Westport Transit District.

Cuts were made last year. Ridership went down. Now, with ridership down, further cuts are proposed.

Westport resident, lawyer and commuter Evan Barr is not pleased. He makes these points:

The per-rider cost of $4527.63 sounds like a lot of money. But public transit is not about profit. It’s a public service that almost always must be significantly subsidized.  It should not have to “pay for itself.”

The town should consider the consequence of eliminating bus service. Some people will have to buy a second car, and pay to park it, operate it, insure it.  Families with only 1 car will have to arrange their schedules around station drop-offs and pick-ups.

A Westport transit bus makes a pickup at Saugatuck station.

Nearly everyone in Westport says they favor green initiatives. This no-brainer opportunity to reduce traffic and air pollution, at a relatively minor cost of $114,000 (out of an overall town budge of $74 million) gets voted down – even though the town plan adopted a few years ago advocates increasing routes and enhancing ridership.

We have relatively inexpensive parking costs at the Saugatuck lot, compared to others in the region, so we encourage people to drive to the station. Maybe, as one former RTM member said, we should increase cost of parking in the Saugatuck lot to subsidize the bus system.

Meanwhile, camaraderie exists among shuttle bus riders. It gives folks who live in the same part of town a chance to talk with their neighbors — which never happens in separate vehicles.

The Norwalk Transit District operates Westport's commuter buses.

Virtually everyone I spoke to who uses the bus said they would happily pay a higher fare if that would help reduce the deficit and save the system. Most said they would pay twice the current $1.50. Norwalk Transit has apparently been inflexible in refusing to explore this possibility. If necessary, Westport should hire a consultant and find another vendor to provide the service.

After cutbacks — resulting from budget cuts — the one route left (Imperial) is basically useless. Most people would have to drive to the lot to take the bus. Once  in your car, you’re probably inclined to just drive down to the station. Keeping Imperial is of symbolic value only.

If the system goes under, it’s unlikely we can reconstitute another any time soon.  If the budget cut goes through we also walk away from $400,000 in state subsidy. Good luck getting those funds back.

The current system is far from perfect. But it’s far better to tinker with it than to scrap it entirely.

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Posted in Local politics, People

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The Bus Stops Here

Posted on March 30, 2011 | 64 comments

In the 1970s, Westport pioneered the minnybus.  Brightly decorated vehicles plied the streets of town, using a hub-and-spoke system at Staples and Jesup Green.

The Westport Transit District added maxytaxys.  Anyone could call for a ride anywhere — but the buses picked up other riders too, so getting from Point A to Point B could involve trips to Points C, D, E, F and G along the way.

By 1992 though, declining ridership, inefficient operations and deteriorating equipment caused near collapse of the system.  The RTM reached out for help.

Though the Westport Transit District still exists, it has no employees or paid administrators — not even a bus.  The Norwalk Transit District operates our system, providing great economies of scale.

Westport mass transit has 4 components:

  • Fixed routes: Buses that run to and from the Saugatuck and Green’s Farms train station, all around town.
  • Commuter shuttle: Buses that run between Saugatuck station and the Imperial Avenue parking lot.
  • After-school shuttle: Buses that run from schools to the Y, library and downtown, stopping at churches along the way.
  • Door-to-door service: Buses that provide rides for elderly and disabled riders, including physical assistance.

Last year, the WTD counted just under 100,000 trips.

The annual cost to operate Westport’s bus system is a bit over $1.3 million.  However, the town pays only $281,000.  The rest of the funds — 80% or so — comes from fares, and (mostly) state and federal matching grants.

Last week, the Board of Finance voted to cut $100,000 from the Westport Transit District’s proposed budget.  Combined with the subsequent loss of matching grants, the district would lose about 35% of its funding.

If those cuts are sustained, some tough decisions must be made.

“Who do you pick to go?” asks Jim Hood, volunteer co-director of the WTD.

“The schools?  People might say parents or neighbors could drive their kids.

“The trains?  People could say, why can’t they get there on their own.

“The elderly and infirm?  Well, people could say, those buses are inefficient and expensive.”

The dilemma, Hood says, is that “mass transit systems are a service, not a business.  They run at a loss all across the country — but they’re there because they’re important to people.”

A commuter pick-up at the Saugatuck station.

Hood compares transit with another government service:  the fire department.  “Do you divide the number of fires each year by the number of firefighters and the cost of the equipment?  Of course not.  We have a fire department because it’s necessary.”

Some politicians have suggested a fare increase.  Hood says that won’t help much.  Laws regulate how much the fare can be raised — and half of all riders buy Metro-North UniTickets, offering discounts for both trains and buses.  The WTD has no say over those prices.

“It’s easier said than done, but Westport has to figure out if it’s the kind of town that wants this,” Hood says.  “This,” he explains, is “a service for people — some of whom need it as an economic necessity.”

Once mass transit it cut “drastically,” Hood notes, ridership drops dramatically.  That has a domino effect.  Soon there is no service at all.

Bus riders are just learning of the proposed cut, Hood says.  As they do, they realize its impact.  Some are asking why the reduction is so steep.

The next step, Hood says, is a Board of Finance restoration meeting.  The RTM can also restore funds.  He hopes members of both bodies will “hear about the effects, and make an informed decision.”

If restoration fails, Westport’s mass transit riders will have to figure out a new way of getting to the station, getting downtown after school, getting around if they’re elderly or handicapped.

In other words, they’ll have to start reinventing the wheel.

64 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Economy, Environment, Local politics, Looking back, Organizations, Staples HS

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