County Public Transportation To Be Reduced
 BRTA General Manager Mark McClanan said funding for local public transportation was reduced or kept level – forcing the organization to reduce the number of routes. |
According to Berkshire Regional Transit Authority General Manager Mark McClanan, about 17 bus runs are being eliminated, rerouted or reduced in frequency in order to lower costs after the organization received a reduction in state aid.
"If we don't have the funds to run the service, unfortunately, we have to back down," McClanan said at a public input meeting Monday. "We're going to reduce services in some areas."
The organization is proposing a list of route changes and is holding three public meetings before coming to a final decision. Most changes center around the first and last runs of the day, McClanan said. The group sought to change the runs that have the least ridership.
To ease the blow, the BRTA is continuing its partnership with Berkshire Rides to help serve those going to and from work. Those who use those runs for their job can now be picked up by the Berkshire Rides vans.
"As long as it is employment-related, they qualify for our program," Berkshire Rides Project Manager Jana Hunkler Brule said. "If they need to eliminate some of these runs, it won't be a problem for us."
However, switching to Berkshire Rides will come at a high cost to the rider. The BRTA charges $1.25 per ride while Berkshire Rides charges $2. Berkshire Rides also does not provide service south of Cheshire. But, still being able to provide some service to those riders is better than nothing, McClanan said.
"It's a much larger inconvenience to say 'we can't help you get to work,' compared to saying 'we can't help you get to the grocery store,'" McClanan said.
Brule said if the changes are proposed, Berkshire Rides officials will be riding the routes to tell those patrons how to contact the group for rides.
Only two community members went to Monday's meeting at the Mary Spitzer Center on Ashland Street but BRTA officials have two more scheduled. The next meeting is Tuesday in Stockbridge and the last meeting is Wednesday in Pittsfield.
Resident Joan Coddling told officials that they will lose her business if the organization does not fix the routes going north and south in the county. Coddling said that she recently took the bus to Wal Mart in Pittsfield and it took her two hours each way. The route does not allow for riders to transfer buses at the Allendale Shopping Center and instead the riders are rerouted to downtown Pittsfield before going out toward Dalton, she said.
"It's terrible and I would never do it again," Coddling said. "I hate to take the bus."
Comments can also be mailed or e-mailed into the organization until July 21. The changes still need to be approved by the organization and would go into effect Sept. 5.
The list of proposed changes is available below.
Proposed BRTA Changes.
Tags: Berkshire Regional Transportation Authority, BRTA,
