The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) will be holding public meetings to receive comments on the proposed service and fare changes that would go into effect on July 1, 2018.
BRTA was advised by MassDOT to expect level funding of the statewide regional transit authorities’ allocation, at the FY 2015 level of $80.4 million. BRTA is slated to receive $2,505,095 instead of the $2,741,895 if the statewide regional transit authorities’ allocation was at the $88 million level. With level funding, BRTA is facing an operational budget deficit of $378,400 for the upcoming fiscal year. Level funding coupled with rising operational costs translates into reduced service and increased fares.
BRTA’s Advisory Board authorized public meetings to receive comments on the proposed service and fare changes at their Board meeting held on March 29, 2018.
The proposed options for the Fixed Route bus system would be to: discontinue the 4:30 PM trip on Bus Route 21 Express; eliminate Bus Route 3S, adding demand stops on Bus Route 3 to accommodate customers; combine Bus Route 5 and 13; reduce to one bus on weekdays for Bus Route 21; reduce to one bus on both Bus Routes 1 and 2 for Saturdays; combine Bus Routes 5, 13, 15, and 16 on Saturdays and discontinue one midday trip; or eliminate all Saturday bus service.
The proposed options for the Paratransit service include: align Non-ADA service days and hours with ADA service days and hours or eliminate all Saturday Paratransit service.
The proposal includes fixed route cash fare payments to remain the same, while fares would increase when using a Charlie Card. $1.55 for a local trip, $4.00 for a system-wide fare, 75 cents for a local reduced fare, and $2.00 for a system-wide reduced fare. There would be a potential reduction for purchasing 7 or 30 day passes.
Detailed information on the scheduled dates and times for the public meetings is available by clicking here. All public comments will be given to the BRTA Advisory Board for their final decision to be made in May 2018.
Public comments may be submitted until April 30, 2018.
In person: Attending a public meeting
By mail: Send a letter to BRTA, 1 Columbus Avenue, Suite 201, Pittsfield, MA 01201
By email: send an email