CCTA up and running

By COURTNEY LAMDIN | Staff Writer
mireporter@mac.com

Town manager Sandy Miller awoke at 4 a.m. Monday, Feb. 15 – not to see the sun rise, but to catch the bus.

Miller was the first passenger aboard the town’s first public transit bus, which left Pine Street in Burlington at 5:55 a.m.

Nearly two years after becoming a member, Milton now has commuter service through Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA).

“I thought it would be a great experience to be on the first bus,” Miller wrote in an email response. “The bus is one of the new ones CCTA purchased, and it provides
a comfortable and smooth ride.”

Bus driver Charles “Chuck” Norris-Brown wheeled the bus to its hub at Cherry
Street, drove through Winooski to the Champlain Mill, skipped Colchester (the town isn’t a member) and then picked up passengers at Milton Town Offices and Chimney Corners Park and Ride.

The route also includes “by request” stops at Husky, Catamount Industrial Park and Fletcher Allen on its way back into Burlington. There is also a mid-day, P.M. commuter and evening route. A complete schedule can be found on CCTA’s Web site, www.cctaride.org.

A one-way ticket costs $2, and a 10-ride ticket is $20, which isn’t discounted but gives riders the convenience of not needing cash on-hand.

A $67 monthly pass gives riders unlimited trips over a 31-day period, and the savings depend on how much it’s used. For a commuter who rides the bus the 22 weekdays in a month, the pass saves $21 over paying by cash.

“It’s definitely for someone who intends to ride frequently, so you’d get a savings,” said Meredith Birkett, CCTA planning manager.
In June, the company will review the route, but Birkett only expects minor changes.

“Things always come up when you’re operating something every day in different conditions,” she said.

For now, Birkett is happy to see commuters using the bus and hopes more residents will give it a try, if not to commute, then to go downtown for dinner on a Friday night – and take advantage of the Try-It passes, mailed to every Milton address, she said.

Miller, who serves on CCTA’s board with Selectboard member Diana Palm, thinks this bus service will be “another success story for Milton,” he wrote.

“Especially once people get used to it and come to realize how convenient it is to let someone else do the driving so they can have a cup of coffee, talk on the phone, text (safely) and even do some reading,” Miller wrote.

CCTA service connects Milton to Chittenden County “in way we just haven't been before,” he said.