VTrans overview and legislative study propose shifting rural bus service out of Green Mountain Transit to cut costs

Vermont Agency of Transportation public transit officials told the House Transportation Committee on Jan. 21 that the agency’s public transit program faces a “new normal” of higher operating costs and that a legislative study recommends transferring most rural Green Mountain Transit operations to neighboring regional providers to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

The presentation opened with Ross McDonald, Public Transit Program Manager at VTrans, describing the department’s aims “to meet the basic mobility needs of all Vermonters, including transit dependent persons,” and to support access to employment, reduce congestion and preserve air quality. McDonald said VTrans’ public-transit budget was about $48,000,000 in the most recent year and that roughly two-thirds of that funding comes from federal highway funds flexed into transit, supplemented by state dollars and local provider matches.

The nut graf: A VTrans-commissioned legislative study of rural service found GMT’s rural operating rate is substantially higher than other rural providers. The study’s author and VTrans staff said moving rural routes to agencies such as Tri-Valley Transit and Rural Community Transportation could lower statewide rural operating costs while allowing GMT to concentrate on urban transit in Chittenden County — a shift that the study recommends the Legislature consider this session.

Study findings and recommendation

Steve Fobble, the analyst who prepared the rural-service study and long-time VTrans performance lead, presented cost comparisons that used both a service-hour cost model and a staffing-based model. Fobble said GMT’s rural transit rate rose substantially…