Issues including safety and planning that can help improve bus ridership

The photos (on the left) attached show two buses right behind each other.  Apparently, they do so because there are too many people at those particular times for one bus.  Unfortunately, there won't be another bus for half an hour.  Why not have one every 15 minutes so people don't clamor to the half hour one? I'm not sure how Google Maps gets it's info about WRTA schedules and stops, but it is very important that is kept up to date to try to find stops and schedules. If you have to wait 20 minutes to start [...]

By |2023-03-27T14:40:17+00:00March 27, 2023|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Issues including safety and planning that can help improve bus ridership

A NEW RIDERS’ REPRESENTATIVE ON THE WRTA ADVISORY BOARD

At the WRTA Board meeting on July 21, Dr. Heather-Lyn Haley took her seat as the riders' representative. By statute, this is a position that must be filled every twelve months by a bus rider from a different municipality than the one before. That's not long enough, but we'll talk about that another day. Dr Haley is a life-long rider of the Worcester buses She was introduced to bus riding by her grandmother, who worked at City Hall, and was the first female paralegal in Massachusetts.   When she was a little older, she rode the bus to and from [...]

By |2022-07-30T16:59:21+00:00July 30, 2022|Uncategorized|Comments Off on A NEW RIDERS’ REPRESENTATIVE ON THE WRTA ADVISORY BOARD

Why Zero Fare?

Why Zero Fare? By Adam Thielker Massachusetts is a state with one intense urban core, cocooned in suburbs, inside a rural landscape dotted with patches of rust, framed by various vacationlands. This letter will show how the Cities, State, and Federal governments can take steps to provide effective public transportation across all the areas served by its Regional Transportation Authorities. I will be focusing on the Worcester RTA, which is charged with providing bus service to Southern Worcester County. Worcester is a microcosm of the challenges faced across the state: An up-and-coming urban core, pleasant suburbs, rural fields and [...]

By |2022-07-21T01:22:47+00:00July 21, 2022|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Why Zero Fare?

Let’s face it: our bus stops fail us in the summer

As Massachusetts enters what is projected to be the hottest summer on record, many folks are retreating into the comfort of air conditioned cars. For those of us who opt for the bus, we once again are experiencing the extreme weather of our state in an all-too-familiar location: the bus stop. Like many bus dependent folks, I’ve waited at a stop in almost every weather condition possible. From windchills below zero to heat indices above 100, bus riders in Worcester are forced to battle with some of the most extreme temperature variation in North America while waiting for our ride [...]

By |2022-06-23T21:52:39+00:00June 23, 2022|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Let’s face it: our bus stops fail us in the summer

New Report Released Ahead of WRTA November Meeting

WRTA Board meeting on November 18, 8:30 am, to decide the fate of Zero Fare. Get your comments in to the Board by the 15th at the latest! Go to Therta.com and let them know how you feel. Meanwhile here's an overview of what's at stake. Just remember, research is never neutral. The Future Of Fares At WRTA

By |2021-10-26T14:23:22+00:00October 26, 2021|Uncategorized|Comments Off on New Report Released Ahead of WRTA November Meeting

New PVTA Intercity to Amherst!

On September 30, a Thursday, I rode the PVTA's new intercity express from Worcester to Amherst, passing through Leicester, Spencer, the Brookfields, Ware, the Town of Belchertown, Pelham, and stopping in Amherst at the Common. From there, the bus went on to UMass without me.    While I was waiting in Worcester, by the Union Station garage at the intersection of Harding and Franklin streets, I ran into one of my acquaintances from the WRTA, who told me that this new intercity line was funded by a grant from MassDOT which had been available since 2014. These things take time, I [...]

By |2021-10-05T23:49:10+00:00October 5, 2021|Uncategorized|Comments Off on New PVTA Intercity to Amherst!

Regional Transit Plan/CSA

The 2020 Comprehensive Regional Transit Plan (CRTP) update process for WRTA builds on the work of the 2015 Regional Transit Plan/CSA Final Report. The 2020 update, funded by MassDOT and conducted by AECOM, was recommended by the Task Force on Regional Transit Authority Performance and Funding. Released in March 2021, the goals of the CRTP update are to: Provide WRTA overview Identify essential markets, gaps in service, and ridership growth opportunities amidst COVID-19 impacts Evaluate performance indicators and assess performance management Provide recommendations for a strategic 5-year vision WRTA Comprehensive Regional Transit Plan Update 2020 WRTA_CRTPU_MASTER_02232021_508

By |2021-03-20T21:19:46+00:00March 20, 2021|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Regional Transit Plan/CSA
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