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South County Connector director reviews ridership gains, warns of staffing shortfalls
Summary
Tay Coleman, director of public transportation for Great Barrington, told Sheffield's Select Board that the South County Connector tied its monthly ridership record in May, reported strong on‑time performance and launched a public operations dashboard — but warned that staffing vacancies have reduced service hours and increased trip denials.
Tay Coleman, director of public transportation for the Town of Great Barrington, presented an overview of the South County Connector's FY26 performance and FY27 plans to the Sheffield Select Board. Coleman said the Connector provided just over 24,000 rides in FY26 and that May 2026 tied the service's highest monthly ridership at 2,624 rides. "I'm Tay Coleman. I'm the Director of Public Transportation, for the Town Of Great Barrington," he said, and described the Connector as "an on‑demand transit, community shared‑ride service" serving seven southern Berkshire towns.
Coleman highlighted recent operational improvements after the system adopted new operations software (Via) at the end of April and launched a public operations dashboard on socoride.org. He said on‑time performance improved to the mid‑90s and pooled ride share increased after the software change. But he warned of significant staffing shortages: the department is budgeted for 11 full‑time‑equivalent positions and, with vacancies and resignations, could fall to roughly 3.1 FTEs. That shortfall has reduced service hours (currently operating about 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and raised trip denial rates — systemwide denials were about 17% and roughly 22% in Sheffield. "A large number of those denied rides are rides requested same day because, ultimately, we don't necessarily have that dedicated capacity remaining," Coleman said.
The presentation included Sheffield‑specific figures: Coleman reported 2,891 rides to or from Sheffield in FY26 for 130 unique riders and said June 2026 accounted for 394 rides among 37 distinct riders, with 86% of Sheffield trips between Sheffield and Great Barrington. He noted fare levels ($3 in‑town, $6 multi‑town) and discounts such as free rides for veterans funded by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Coleman also outlined FY27 funding sources including a successful $600,000 MassDOT micro‑transit/last‑mile grant and a $309,000 vehicle award for electric replacements. He urged continued municipal coordination on hiring and the intermunicipal agreement that governs the seven‑town service.
