Local bus service has grown more than 20 percent in New Hampshire over the last 3 years.
And local officials are expanding systems, to make them more attractive to potential riders.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s David Darman has more.
Concord has had a bus system for 14 years.
Now, for the first time, the system could extend beyond the city’s boundaries.
Concord Area Transit, or CAT, is planning to run buses into the next town, Pembroke.
And the service could extend as far as the next town after that, Allenstown.
Transportation planners recently spoke to about 10 senior citizens in Allenstown about extended bus service.
Laura Scott of the Central New Hampshire Planning Commission said it would be more frequent service than the seniors were used to.
02 52… this would be every day, multiple times during the day. It would be a regular bus service. You could go into concord every day if you wanted...
CAT is looking to expand as New Hampshire’s roads become more congested.
In the last decade, government data show that most commutes have gotten longer, in every part of the state.
In Merrimack County, for example, the average commuting time went up 15 percent.
Mickey McGiver of CAT says the lengthened commute is one reason people are interested in extensive, local bus systems.
11 53 traffic congestion is becoming worse in every urban setting In the state. People need to get places and often don’t have the means or the ability to drive themselves, whether they’re seniors, whether they’re disabled, whether they choose not do drive because of congestion issues. 11 114
In Concord, buses run frequently during the day on Main Street.
SOUND UP….BUS PULLS IN….
18 better bus pulls in sound
On a recent afternoon, a few people were waiting for a bus in front of the statehouse.
Brenda Aliberti says she and her children frequently take the bus.
Aliberti says she likes the bus, because its clean and affordable.
There’s only one more thing she’s looking for, weekend service.
12 112 … ‘cause I like to take my kids places and I don’t have transportation so if they worked on Saturdays, at least, that would be good. 12 126
But people like Aliberti who don’t own a car don’t drive the decisions of bus system planners.
The key to their expansion plans are those who would use the bus in greatest numbers…the commuters.
The Nashua Transit System has added a bus line to Milford to bring in workers in the morning and take them back out in the afternoon.
The COAST system around Portsmouth has added a trolley for pretty much the same reason.
The most successful local bus system in the state is geared primarily toward commuters.
“Advance Transit” operates in the Upper Valley.
Dartmouth College, area businesses, and local governments have gotten together to make the buses “free” for riders.
Kate Nutter-Upham takes the bus in Hanover to work most weekdays.
SOUND UP: TRAFFIC IN THE SQUARE
As she waited one day, Nutter-Upham expressed a common view of many riders.
24 112 I like that its free. I don’t know that I’d always take it if it wasn’t.
Advance Transit buses also run frequently during the day.
The combination of frequent service and no fares has boosted ridership by a third in the last year.
An estimated 750,000 passengers will take the bus in 2003.
Van Chestnut is the executive director of Advance Transit.
He says it makes good economic sense to offer “free” bus service.
22 620 even though we’re not the big city, we’re still constrained by mountains and rivers, historic downtowns and this sort of thing, so its not practical to just pave over the upper valley and parking garages have proven very expensive to build. So, its cost effective to encourage people to not drive their cars…
The Upper Valley is fortunate to have large institutional support to help pay for bus service.
Other areas of the state may not have that advantage.
Kit Morgan is the chief of Rail and Transit at the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.
He says most bus systems across the state have to scrounge to put together the funding they need.
37 544 there’s federal money, in some cases some comes through the state. In some cases directly to the transit system. There is a very small amount of state money, …though it’s a fraction of what’s provided in other states, it definitely helps. But there’s quite a burden on the local communities to raise money in their local budgets to support these services. 37 618
Transportation planners believe two trends will continue to lead to expanded service.
First, the population is getting older, and seniors are an important target market.
And as the state continues to grow, traffic congestion will only get worse.
As commuting times inch up, planners are betting more and more people may decide its time to take the bus.
