Residents tell Winchester council the Loop bus is reliable and urge keeping it

Several Winchester residents used the public comment period on May 13 to urge the City Council not to cancel the Loop bus route, arguing the service is reliable, affordable and essential for riders who face long waits on the app-based WinReady system.

"That bus service, from my own experience and discussion with many others, is the only reliable and dependable service," Elizabeth Mxer of Ward 2 told the council. She said WinReady routinely leaves riders waiting an hour or more and asked councilors to consider a compromise such as reducing Loop frequency instead of cancelling the route.

Michelle Kozlowski, a resident at the Winchester House, said drivers told residents the Loop carries roughly 300 riders across six buses (about 50 per bus) while WinReady serves roughly 100 riders on two buses, and warned that adding Loop riders to WinReady would overload the app-based system. "It's just not on time as it is," she said.

Arthur Christian raised related transit concerns while also opposing a Neighborhood Design District near his home; he questioned traffic and geotechnical studies and said removing the Loop stop would make the program's stated measurement radius unclear for paratransit eligibility.

Councilors and staff did not take a final vote on the Loop at the May 13 meeting; the transcript records a May 29 meeting time noted by a resident for the upcoming vote. Residents and advocates in the room asked the council to consider partial reductions or other compromises rather than complete cancellation so as not to leave riders without reliable service.