Seeking Suggestions From Bus Riders And Others

The Connecticut Public Transportation Commission is inviting residents to weigh in on ways to improve bus and train service in the state. The Commission is holding a series of public meetings starting Tuesday night in Waterbury. WNPR’s Nancy Cohen reports.

The Commission not only wants to hear from bus riders, but from bus drivers, regional planning agencies, city and town officials and people who take trains and who run them. The Commission is looking for suggestions for projects that would not be too costly such as new bus stop markings or improved handicapped parking facilities.

Frederick Riese, who’s with the commission, says that members want to hear about issues that come up in more than one region in the state when people are trying to get from one place to another.

“Whether it’s medical appointments, job sites, cultural entertainment things, are you able to make those trips and if not, what are the impediments? Is it a route that’s not currently available because there isn’t a connection between two things? Is it where you may be able to get to work, but by the end of your shift all bus service has ceased and you can’t get back home? So, we want to know what in general is necessary to make transportation work better for them.”

The Public Transportation Commission will hold additional meetings in Newington, Stamford and New London. By the end of this year it’ll publish a report with recommendations for improving pubic transportation and freight service.

For WNPR, I’m Nancy Cohen.