County Bus System to Cut Final Loop of Routes
Pointing to low ridership, officials at Putnam Area Rapid Transit (PART) intend to cut the last loop of bus routes 1, 2, and 5 starting in mid-September.
County transportation manager Vincent Tamagna said PART will no longer run buses until 9 p.m. each day because only two or three riders — at most — were on each bus at that time. Financially, Tamagna said it didn’t make sense to continue that last loop from 8 p.m. to 9.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tamagna said based on the county’s contract with bus carrier MV Transit, the county is allowed to change any route at any time. He said MV Transit’s general manager has indicated she’s fine with the change and told Tamagna that no drivers will be laid off and the hours for drivers will remain steady.
He said the change is to make the routes as efficient as possible and the county would save roughly $56,000 from the elimination.
“We’re certainly sympathetic to the drivers,” Tamagna said. “At the end of the day, we’re most sympathetic to the taxpayers.”
Sometimes drivers were riding in buses with no passengers at all, he said.
Tamagna said he’s followed Federal Transportation Administration guidelines in making the move. Unless the change is more than 10 percent of the overall bus plan, the transit department doesn’t need approval from the county Legislature. He said the total impact is about 4 percent.
The FTA reviewed the job Putnam has done with the transit system recently and it received a near perfect rating, Tamagna said.
When asked what the handful of riders that depend on the final loop can do, Tamagna said, “There’s a great taxi system.” He added those riders might be able to modify their work hours or carpool. So far, only one resident has called to complain about the new move and two drivers that operate during those late night hours have called him.
“Is ridership lower than it’s been in the past? Yes,” Tamagna said. “It’s not just a countywide issue.”
Tamagna argued when the cost of gas was higher, more people relied on public transportation, but with gas at lower prices, more residents get around independently.
MV Transit general manager Sherry Malverty confirmed no drivers would be negatively affected by the change and no layoffs would commence.
“The drivers–their hours are not being affected at all,” Malverty said, with most drivers having the same hours or even slightly increasing.
While MV Transit has no input on whether a route is changed or cut, she agreed with Tamagna there is low ridership for that final loop.
Frank D’Anna, the union shop steward that represents the drivers, said he was relieved despite the cut in operating hours, that no drivers would be losing full-time status and everyone would keep their benefits. He gave credit to Malverty for finding a tenable solution for drivers.
But he disagreed with the county’s decision to eliminate the final loop and said “100 percent of the drivers” are against it. The change will now promote taxi services in the county for the ridership that needs it at late hours, D’Anna said.
The cost for the bus is $2.50 or $1.25 if the passenger is disabled, elderly, or a child.
He said the elimination of the loop is foreshadowing to possible further cuts down the road.
Unlike Westchester County and nearby Connecticut municipalities, Putnam doesn’t do enough advertising so residents know the benefits of the county system, D’Anna said. He said despite talks with transportation officials about promoting the system a couple years back, nothing has ever happened.
D’Anna said a couple times each month, he hears from new riders that tell him they never knew the bus service was available. More bus schedules are needed, too, D’Anna said.
“They wasted not a penny on promoting it,” D’Anna said.
