Public Transportation to be Cut, Fares Raised

Public transportation in Westport will likely be diminished next week when a series of cuts and fare hikes are voted on by the Westport Transit District. The impetus is a cut initiated by the Board of Finance.

Under the proposed changes, the base fare would increase from $1.25 to $1.50. For people with disabilities, on medicare or at least 65 years old, the bus fare would go up from 60 cents to 75 cents.

Westport pays a quarter-million dollars annually for the Norwalk Transit District to offer buses in town, with the state paying for the rest.

In a meeting last month, Avi Kaner, a member of the Board of Finance, called the combination high costs and low ridership make the Transit District a “white elephant.” His calculations, based on numbers provided by the Transit District, show that the each rider costs $8,629 (with $1,824 of that paid by Westport) annually.

Some of the proposed changes include:

• The final trip for evening commuter shuttles will be axed, which includes the 7:30 p.m. from the Saugatuck Station, 7:40 p.m. from Greens Farms Station. The 8:22 p.m. bus from Saugatuck will also be cut.
• The daytime route to Pepperidge Farm in Norwalk will be eliminated, and a new route will operate during peak commuting hours to serve the Post Road West, Riverside Avenue and downtown.
• Two morning trips from commuter lots, the 6:11 a.m. to the Saugatuck station and the 5:56 a.m. to Greens Farms, will be cut.
• The Nyala Farms/ Greens Farms route from the Saugatuck Station will be cut, but a 7:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. route would be added.
• The Norden Park shuttle service will be removed from Westport's budget and added to Norwalk's costs.
• The after school shuttle 3 route will be modified to travel from the Conservative Synagogue directly to the Westport Weston Family Y, ending at the Jesup Green at 3:43 p.m.

These changes to the Westport Service would be effective July 18. The Westport Transit District meeting to decide is May 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall.