The Manchester Transit Authority launched a new, free bus route on Monday to take residents from the Center City to parks, supermarkets and a city pool in the North End. Route 42 is a pilot from the Age Friendly Initiative from the city’s health department for this summer.
Resident Yesenia García lives near the start of the route and rode on the inaugural trip with her kids. She drives sometimes, but said the new route would be helpful for getting her kids to the community pool at Livingston Park.
“Our community needed a bus that would take us comfortably,” she said in Spanish. “Especially with this heat, we need to come to the pool.”
Funding for community pools and public infrastructure were part of a heated debate on the city budget for this fiscal year. While the city works on getting a contract for a new pool and bathhouse in the neighborhood, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais celebrated an easy way for residents to get to the pool in the North End this summer.
“This bus route is incredible for our kids who are looking to get up to Livingston Park to enjoy the pool up there. This is also incredibly important for our seniors and those who lack access to transportation,” he said. “We have 16,500 seniors in the city of Manchester, and it's incredibly important that we're building that necessary infrastructure to service their needs.”
A few nonprofits appeared at the route’s launch party, including several city departments and the housing nonprofit NeighborWorks. Sarah Piper, one of their tenant services coordinators, said the free route would be helpful for clients, especially those living on a fixed income.
“Anything that you can get reduced price or free is going to mean that it’s accessible to more people,” Piper said. “ [Manchester Transit] have a whole system for presentations for how to use the bus and how to take advantage of free and reduced stuff to make sure you can get to as many places as possible.”
The bus leaves Price Rite once every hour from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday, through Sept. 5. A detailed schedule can be found at mtabus.org.
