PVTA held a public information session Tuesday at the Olver Pavilion on proposed changes.
WESTFIELD – The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) held a public hearing at the Olver Transit Pavilion on Tuesday to get input on proposed changes in service and rates to the Greater Springfield Metropolitan Route, which includes Westfield.
Mayor Brian P. Sullivan; Community Development Director Peter J. Miller, who is the Westfield liaison to the PVTA Advisory Board, and Kate Phelon, Executive Director of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce attended, as did more than a dozen consumers of the service.
According to Miller, among the changes impacting Westfield is the elimination of Adult Day Care rides on-demand for seniors. Miller said that the program has been a part of the Para-Transit program, but is not one of the programs mandated by the state. He said the program was cut because there are other sources of funding available for senior transportation to programs.
“Those people are eligible for transportation through programs that fund Adult Day Health,” said Krystal Oldread, PVTA Director of Operations and Planning. Oldread said PVTA is “transitioning them over to that program.” She said the cut is for able-bodied seniors who call Dial-a-Ride. ADA riders will still get there, she added, saying the senior adult day health rides are the only elimination.
When asked for a comment, Jim Clifford, Director of Mercy Adult Day Health of Westfield said he was not aware of the proposed changes to the Dial-a-Ride service for seniors. “Basically, any reduction in public transportation service could have a negative effect on seniors seeking medical or social services in the community,” Clifford said.
“We hope the proposal is given thoughtful consideration regarding its impact on seniors,” he added.
Para-Transit also covers the ADA van, which is a mandated program. “You have to provide ADA van services for the same hours as the regular service,” Miller said. However, prices for the van will be going up.
Oldread said the federal mandate requires Para-Transit services at the same times and days as the base route up to ¾ mile out from the route on either side. She said ADA prices are set based on fixture prices, and can be no more than two times the base route inside the ¾ mile buffer.
PVTA Administrator Sandra E. Sheehan speaks with Christopher Raymond of Westfield State University about the proposed changes to the Saturday bus schedule.
PVTA Administrator Sandra E. Sheehan said the ADA service is currently $2.50, $3 or $3.50 to pick up riders up to ¾ mile on either side of the route. A proposed fare increase would raise the prices to $3.15, $3.65 and $4.15.
However in Westfield, PVTA provides ADA service to the entire community. Sheehan said the Advisory Board has proposed anything beyond the ¾ mile mandated program will be charged a fixed premium of $6.25. The last ride of the day will also change to 3:30 p.m.
“Anything above and beyond, we don’t have to do, but we felt it was important. Routes beyond ¾ mile are typically off the beaten path, longer trips, and are more expensive to operate,” Oldread said.
Sheehan said on the entire Greater Springfield Metropolitan Route, there are over 2,000 frequent users who are ADA certified clients and 1,500 seniors. “These are the most expensive trips PVTA provides, and take a vehicle out of service rather than ride sharing,” Sheehan said.
PVTA is also proposing an across-the-board fare increase of 25% for all fixed routes effective July 1. The current adult basic cash fare of $1.25 would increase to $1.60 at that time, with all other rates to be raised proportionately.
Another change will be to Saturday bus service, which will change to 9 am. to 7 p.m. instead of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., the same as on Sunday. This change on the R10 route may impact Westfield State University students coming into town on a Saturday night, Sheehan said. Instead of Saturday and Sunday service, it will be called Weekend service.
Sheehan said the reason for the cuts is the Governor’s budget, which has level-funded regional transit. She said PVTA is one of 15 regional transit authorities, and there is $804 million in the budget for all 15, the same level of funding as in 2015, although fuel, labor and insurance has gone up.
Sheehan said they are hopeful that there will be more money for transportation in the House and Senate versions. However, they are required to have a balanced budget by June 1, before the state budget is out. She said last year, they took a gamble and went with a higher budget than the Governor’s budget, and then had to make a $1 million cut when the final budget came out.
Sheehan also said that transportation money comes from the transportation fund, and does not compete with other services.
Everyone who attended the public hearing was invited to make comments on the proposed changes, which will be considered before an anticipated vote on April 11. Comments are also being taken by mail addressed to Sandra Sheehan, PVTA Administrator, 2808 Main Street, Springfield, MA 01107, by email to [email protected], or by calling (413) 732-6248 x239 and leaving up to a 3-min message.
Mayor Brian P. Sullivan said Westfield is not being impacted as much as other cities and towns. “Westfield is typically 7% of ridership across the board. Most of the bus riders are in Amherst and Springfield. We are small potatoes as far as ridership goes,” he said.
