Morrisville to Waterbury Commuter Bus?

by Amy Kolb Noyes

If you had the option, would you leave your car behind and hop a bus to
Waterbury, Burlington or Montpelier? If the state approves an
application submitted by the Green Mountain Transit Agency, a
Morrisville to Waterbury commuter bus could be in place as soon as this
summer.
If given final approval by the Vermont Agency of Transportation, the
Morrisville to Waterbury route would feed into the existing Link
Express, a bus route running from Montpelier to Burlington. The route
would also include stops along the Route 100 corridor in Morristown,
Stowe and Waterbury. As proposed, the bus would originate from the
Morrisville Plaza, by the intersection of Routes 15 and 100.
The Green Mountain Transit Agency is a subsidiary of the Chittenden
County Transportation Authority. GMTA recently took over the operation
of the Stowe Trolley. Administrative offices and the Morrisville route
busses would be kept at the Stowe Trolley facility, on Moscow Road. In
addition to the Morrisville to Waterbury route, similar feeder routes
have been proposed for other areas, such as the Mad River Valley.
The bus route would be heavily subsidized by the state, as are existing
routes such as the Link Express. GMTA has proposed a two dollar adult
fare for the Morrisville to Waterbury route, with a one dollar fare for
seniors, youth and people with disabilities.
"The CCTA and GMTA fare structures are such that the maximum cost for
travel on a one way trip from any point in either system to any point in
the other, including a link fare, is $3," GMTA's application to VTrans
states. Therefore, a passenger boarding the bus in Morrisville for two
dollars need only pay an additional dollar to transfer in Waterbury to
travel to Montpelier or Burlington. There would be no additional cost to
transfer to another CCTA bus once in the Burlington area. The CCTA
system services Burlington, South Burlington, Winooski, Essex,
Shelburne, Colchester and Williston.
According to the application, the total capital required to start the
Morrisville to Waterbury route is $147,000. Local funding, both public
and private, is expected to cover the required 20% capital match. The
capital funds would purchase two new "van cut-away style busses," at a
cost of $55,000 each. Additional costs include bus stop shelters, signs
and schedule holders. The state would also subsidize operations of the
bus route.
The proposed bus schedule includes two busses running morning and
afternoon, with stops at Morrisville Plaza; the Copley Municipal Parking
Lot, in the Village of Morrisville; the Morrisville-Stowe Airport; Stowe
Village; Lower Village Stowe; Moscow; Waterbury Center and the Waterbury
Park and Ride Lot. There will also be request-only stops, including the
Waterbury train station.
The proposed bus route is intended to reduce automobile traffic and
increase pedestrian traffic through downtowns, such as Morrisville and
Stowe. The bus service also aims to reduce the parking capacity needed
in those downtowns and provide access to jobs for people without cars or
reliable transportation.
Lamoille County Planning Commission Senior Transportation Planner David
Pelletier said the Morrisville-Waterbury proposal is on the VTrans
table, and it appears likely the project could be funded in the next
fiscal year.
"They're trying to turn it around pretty quickly," said Pelletier. He
added if the route is approved, the new bus service could be up an
running as soon as next month.