Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023. 
 
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data. 
 
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
 
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.  
 
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis. 

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BRTA Announces Community Shuttle Program

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority starts its Community Shuttle Program on Tuesday, Sept. 8. 
 
The program consists of using non-CDL drivers on smaller neighborhood routes. This will allow the BRTA to shift CDL drivers to cover other services. Especially in the evening when we have experienced driver shortages and cancellations.
 
Routes 1, 2, 3, and 34 with the goal of producing immediate relief for riders in North and South County.
 
Routes 11/15, 5 and 21 will be the first routes for Community Shuttle service. Route 21 will run until 9:30 p.m. to make sure South County riders have a way home. 
 
BRTA says it is committed to making sure all residents have the service they need daily.
 
The agency continues to work through staffing challenges, but believes this will alleviate the CDL driver shortage. It says it is committed to a program of continuous training and recruitment. Contact the BRTA if you have an interest in joining the team.
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