Senate Transportation hears provider plans, timeline for replacing some Green Mountain Transit services

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Members of the Senate Transportation Committee on Jan. 23 heard from regional and local transit providers about a proposed reallocation of services now operated by Green Mountain Transit in Franklin and Washington counties.

Caleb Grant, executive director of Rural Community Transportation (RCT), told the committee RCT had studied the operations and demographics and did not expect riders to be left behind if RCT took on the services under discussion. "We don't wanna leave anybody behind," Grant said, adding that RCT has seen "20% increases in rides for the past 2 years" after efficiency changes and was in a position to assist the state if asked.

The nut of the discussion was capacity and timing: providers said they can take on more service but emphasized the complexity of transitions that involve union contracts, Medicaid-funded programs and on-demand (OND) service rules. "Taking on another service area is a very major effort. It takes a lot of work, and it takes a lot of resources," the executive director of Tri Valley Transit told the committee, noting Tri Valley's prior experience absorbing Stagecoach…