CT Transit (styled as CTtransit) is a public transportation bus system serving many of the metropolitan areas and their surrounding suburbs in state of Connecticut. CT Transit is a division of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, although it contracts a number of private companies for most of its operations. CT Transit began operations in 1976 as Connecticut Transit after the Connecticut DOT's acquisition of the Connecticut Company that year. Although initially serving only the Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford areas, various local companies and private operators became part of the CT Transit system from the 1970s to the early-2000s. CT Transit's service now extends across much of Connecticut, although specifically around the cities of Bristol, Hartford, Meriden, New Britain, New Haven, Stamford, Wallingford and Waterbury. In 2015, CT Transit began operation of CT Fastrak, the first bus rapid transit system in Connecticut and the second in New England.

History

Early history
Public transportation in Connecticut dates back to the 19th Century, with the introduction of horse-drawn trolley lines in many towns across the state.  In 1901, the Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company was formed to operate and extend electric powered trolley services.  These operations were leased to the Consolidated Railway Company in 1906 and, a year later, merged with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.

In 1910, the New Haven Railroad formally sublet all of its street railway operations to the Connecticut Company, and service continued to expand throughout the next two decades.  By 1924, the Connecticut Company operated some 1,640-passenger cars over a network of 834 miles of trolley track.

Both the New Haven Railroad and Connecticut Company suffered financial setbacks during the Depression years. In 1936, the Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company (CR&L) returned to the transit business, having petitioned the Federal courts for restoration of its original transit property when Connecticut Company was not able to maintain lease payments. CR&L operated bus motor coaches on all of its lines.  Although the manufacture of transit buses was virtually halted during World War II, new production after the war allowed the Connecticut Company to complete the replacement of all its former trolley lines in 1948.

The 1950s inaugurated a period of decline for public transportation nationwide.  Suburbanization, increased automobile ownership, public investment in new highway construction, and declining profitability in the transit business led to a vicious circle of rising fares, service cuts, and declining ridership.  Following the abandonment of its various local operations, the Connecticut Company was sold in 1964 to the Colony Company, headed by E. Clayton Gengras.

In 1973, the Connecticut Department of Transportation began to become more involved with bus services in Connecticut. Particularly due to the 1973 strikes of the employees of the Connecticut Company and CR&L, CTDOT noted in its annual Transportation Master Plan that year that "if the present trend continues, there will be minimal local bus service by 1980" and that "the service that exists today has not been capable of attracting or persuading the automobile driver to abandon his auto ride to the bus". In the following years, CTDOT would begin providing more aid to Connecticut transit districts, as well as assuming more of the responsibilities of the Connecticut Company such as replacement of rolling stock and institution of new routes and more reliable service.

The CR&L surrendered its last transit operating franchises in 1973, and in June 1976 Gengras sold the three remaining divisions of the Connecticut Company (Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford) to the State of Connecticut.

Public ownership

When the Connecticut Department of Transportation acquired the assets of the Connecticut Company, it contracted with a private management company to operate the system.  Since 1979, First Transit, Inc. (formerly ATE Management and Service Company and Ryder/ATE) has provided contract management services to the State in managing the day-to-day operations of CTTRANSIT.  H.N.S. Management Company (the letters symbolize the three divisions: Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford) is a wholly owned sub corporation of First Transit, established as the legal entity to perform the management contact.

Today, the management of CTtransit reports to CTDOT’s Bureau of Public Transportation.  CTDOT staff performs directly many functions that support the day-to-day transit operation, such as capital procurement, long-range planning, and Federal grant applications.  In addition, CTDOT exercises oversight of the CTtransit operation through the budget process, authorization of major capital expenditures, service and fare policy, and monthly financial and performance reporting.

HNS Management, Inc., is the principal operator of CTtransit service in the greater Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford areas.  They are the second largest public transit system in New England with a total fleet of over 400 buses and over 27 million customers served each year.  HNS employs nearly 980 bus operators, maintenance employees, and administrative personnel; the company administers an annual operating budget of over $100 million.  CTtransit is owned by, and management reports to staff of, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Public Transportation.

Organization

CTtransit is operated by HNS Management/First Transit, serving Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford.  DATTCO and New Britain Transit provide service in New Britain and now New Britain Transit operates the Bristol Service.  The Northeast Transportation Company operates the Waterbury, Meriden, and Wallingford divisions of CTtransit.  CTtransit is overseen by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which also provides the operating budget.

Divisions 
CTtransit is arranged into multiple divisions:

 Hartford Division, the largest division of CTtransit, providing local and express bus service within Hartford County, connecting to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority in Enfield, Connecticut near the state line, 9 Town Transit and Middletown Area Transit at the Middletown bus terminal, CTfastrak at Westfarms Mall, and the CTtransit New Britain Division in downtown New Britain, and CTtransit Waterbury in Torrington. Additionally, it connects with Windham Region Transit District and UConn Transportation Services in Storrs, CT. This division operates seven days a week.
 New Haven Division, serving the city of New Haven and nearby suburbs, with connections to the Greater Bridgeport Transportation Authority at Derby-Shelton Station, Milford Transit District and the Coastal Link at the Connecticut Post Mall, 9 Town Transit at the Madison Scranton Gazebo and CTtransit Waterbury Division in Wallingford and Meriden. Service is provided seven days a week.
 Stamford Division, serving the Stamford area, with connections to the Bee-Line System in White Plains and Port Chester, Hudson Link in White Plains, and Norwalk Transit, HARTransit, and the Coastal Link in Norwalk, Connecticut. Bus service is provided seven days a week.
 Waterbury Division, serving the city of Waterbury and immediate surrounding areas with local service Connections are available to New Haven Division and CTfastrak to Hartford in downtown Waterbury. Service is provided seven days a week on most routes.
 New Britain and Bristol Divisions, providing local service in New Britain and Bristol and surrounding towns seven days a week, with connections to CTtransit Hartford along the Berlin Turnpike, Meriden Square Mall, and in downtown New Britain.
 Meriden Division, serving the city of Meriden with three local routes. Connections are available to Middletown Area Transit and CTtransit New Haven C route at the Meriden Railroad Station, and to the New Britain Division at Meriden Square Mall. Service operates Monday through Friday with a limited Saturday schedule.
 Wallingford Division, consisting of two routes that loop on an hourly basis around the town of Wallingford, Connecticut, connecting to CTtransit New Haven in downtown Wallingford.
 CTfastrak, a bus rapid transit system with routes operating on a dedicated roadway between Hartford and New Britain, as well as connecting routes operating on regular roadways to outlying towns.

Funding 
CTtransit’s annual revenue is primarily made up of fare revenue, advertising, and reimbursements for services through contracts with state agencies (primarily access to jobs). The State of Connecticut funds the operations of CTtransit in the amount of the annual operating deficit.

Services

CT Fastrak 

Although originally conceived in the late-1990s, CT Fastrak opened in 2015 as the first bus rapid transit system in Connecticut and second in New England.

Express Routes 
The first express routes operated by CT Transit were those inherited from the Connecticut Company which were initiated from 1972 until the company's acquisition by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) in 1976. The creation of the routes was prompted by the CTDOT hoping to "decrease automobile traffic into the major urban areas". The first express route operated was from Hartford to the Corbins Corner area of West Hartford, and began operation on January 17, 1972. 15 express routes were in operation by the time CT Transit (then Connecticut Transit) was created, with 13 operating around Hartford, and 2 operating around New Haven respectively.

CT Transit's first new express route came in 1998 with the creation of the I-Bus (now Route 971) between Stamford and White Plains, New York. Originally begun as a pilot funded by the Departments of Transportation of Connecticut and New York, the route would be added to regular service as CT Transit's only interstate express route.

Despite the introduction of the I-Bus, a number of express routes were combined or eliminated over the years following their initial introductions. Although some new routes such as the CI (Correctional Institutes) and IND (Windsor/Bloomfield Industrial) briefly existed around the turn of the millennium, the total number of express routes in 2003 was down to 12, all of which were in the Hartford area. Still intended mostly for commuters, only three routes offered any sort of mid-day service alongside that during rush hour. To meet its budget that year, schedules were constrained even further despite the reduced number of routes. Although unsuccessful, the proposed cuts also originally included eliminating express service to Unionville.

Around 2008, previously having all of its express services operated by HNS, CT Transit began contracting commuter services from other operators in Connecticut including Dattco and Peter Pan. With other operators' services, new routes extended the CT Transit system, such as to Torrington and Winsted. These new routes also provided express connections between CT Transit divisions, such as with the Hartford-New Haven Express and Waterbury Express respectively.

After the creation of CT Fastrak, some routes were altered to serve new CT Fastrak stations. Also, express service to UConn began, operated by Peter Pan, Dattco, and HNS, which was originally planned to be part of an expanded Fastrak service known as "Fastrak East"

In August 2021, due to the decreased ridership resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic, many of CT Transit's routes were consolidated or had their service reduced, and express routes were no exception. Routes 917 (Tolland Express), 924 (Southington-Cheshire Express), 925 (Waterbury Express) were suspended, and their services were partially integrated into other routes. Beginning in August 2021, CT Transit contracted Peter Pan's services in the state of Connecticut along its Hartford-Providence route. Designated Route PPB, Peter Pan buses are used, although both Peter Pan and CT Transit fares are accepted for intrastate travel in Connecticut.

A contract dispute between the CTDOT and Dattco in late-2021 caused the Dattco-operated express routes, which were contracted by CT Transit starting in 2008, to be dropped from CT Transit. The three routes affected by the contract dispute were 921 (Middletown/Old Saybrook Express), 923 (Bristol Express), and 928 (Southington-Cheshire-Waterbury Express). Although Dattco continued operating the routes themselves in the immediate aftermath, service was significantly reduced, operating only a few times per day on each route, and in the case of the former Route 928, it was shortened from Waterbury only to Cheshire. Citing mounting costs, Dattco ended service on all three routes on February 18, 2022. After a four month gap in service, a contract agreement was reached in June. With a new contract, Route 928 resumed operation as part of CT Transit once more on June 22, and Routes 921 and 923 resumed later in August 2022.

Paratransit

CT Transit and GHTD 
In 1991 the Greater Hartford Transit District (GHTD), began paratransit services through a collaboration between CT Transit and the CTDOT. The GHTD's paratransit dial-a-ride services intend to provide ADA access to areas where CT Transit's routes can not by deviating .75 miles from existing routes and utilizing accessible vehicles. However, unlike many other paratransit services, the GHTD's operation as an accessible "alternative" to CT Transit's routes means that it mirrors where CT Transit buses already serve, at the same times the buses normally operate. GHTD's mirroring of CT Transit services has created difficulties for some riders who live in areas underserved by CT Transit bus services.

NETPS/CT Transit Paratransit 

In most areas of Connecticut, CT Transit does not operate paratransit services. However, the Northeast Transportation Company (NET), which is contracted for CT Transit's bus routes in the Meriden, Wallingford, and Waterbury areas, does operate paratransit services as CT Transit within its service area. NET's paratransit services are officially referred to as NETPS (Northeast Transportation Paratransit Service), the name of the service before NET was contracted by CT Transit. NETPS/CT Transit provides dial-a-ride access to residents living in certain towns as well as alternatives to CT Transit routes for those who within .75 of them.

Environment 
In early 2012, HNS Management made a gesture to reducing their environmental impact through the installation of a PureCell stationary fuel cell system for their headquarters on Leibert Road in Hartford, Conn. The fuel cell provides 400 kilowatts (kW) of power to the 330,000 square-foot facility.  Thermal energy from the fuel cell will be used to pre-heat two boilers that support the building’s primary heating system.

By generating power on-site with a fuel cell, CTtransit will prevent the release of more than 827 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually – the equivalent of planting more than 191 acres of trees.  The reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions compared to a conventional power plant are equal to the environmental benefit of removing more than 102 cars from the road.  In addition to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the PureCell system will enable CTtransit to save nearly 3.6 million gallons of water annually.

As of July 2022, CT Transit operated 12 electric buses.  In July 2022, one caught fire, requiring the hospitalization of three people.

References

External links

Bus transportation in Connecticut
Organizations established in 1976
Transit agencies in Connecticut
1976 establishments in Connecticut