Senate unanimously OKs microtransit and employer tax credits to expand last‑mile rides

The Senate adopted Senate Bill 9, an act supporting commuters and microtransit services, after agreeing to strike‑all amendments and recorded a unanimous passage. The bill extends and expands a microtransit pilot program, authorizes an employer tax credit to subsidize employee transit and provides targeted funding to restore and optimize Shoreline East rail service.

Senator Will Cohen, the bill’s floor proponent, described the microtransit pilot as a ‘‘wildly popular’’ on‑demand service used by seniors, people with disabilities, students and employees for first/last‑mile trips. The bill creates a limited employer tax‑credit program targeted at entities with five or more employees that pay Connecticut business taxes; total program authority was described on the floor as $7.5 million over five years and is structured to provide a declining percentage of reimbursement (25% in year one down to 0% in year six) to encourage sustained transit subsidy.

The bill also includes funding to add service on Shoreline East and directs the Department of Transportation to prioritize connectivity and rail service optimization. Supporters framed the bill as a mobility and equity measure: free or subsidized transit promotes workforce access, increases after‑school participation for students and helps veterans and low‑income riders.

What passed: The Senate voted (reported 35‑0) to pass SB9 as amended; implementation details and voucher application procedures were described as the Department of Transportation’s responsibility, including a process to reserve and redeem employer tax‑credit vouchers.

Provenance: Floor debate, sponsor explanation and roll call recorded in the Senate transcript for the May 1 session.