Connecticut Transit

Connecticut Transit

CTtransit New Flyer Xcelsior 1610 and New Flyer D40LF 238 in downtown Hartford on the 38 Weston Street line and 54 Blue Hills Avenue line. 1610 is one of 125 scheduled buses to be delivered in 2017 to replace all 2001 and 2002 New Flyer D40LF.
Parent	Connecticut Department of Transportation
Founded	1976
Headquarters	Hartford, Connecticut
Locale	Connecticut
Service area	Metropolitan areas of Stamford, Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, Meriden, New Britain, Bristol, and Wallingford
Service type	Local bus service
Routes	Buses operate 7 days a week in most divisions, with the exception of a few holidays in some. See CTtransit for the latest information concerning holiday schedules.
Operator	See articles for each division
Chief executive	David A. Lee (HNS General Manager)
Website	Official Website

Connecticut Transit (styled CTtransit) is a bus system serving much of the U.S. state of Connecticut and is a division of that state's Department of Transportation.^[1] CTtransit provides bus service via contract providers for seven different metropolitan areas in the state, mostly concentrated in Hartford and New Haven counties. CTtransit began operations in 1976.

History

HNS Management, Inc., is the principal operator of CTtransit service in the greater Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford areas. They are the second largest public transit system in New England with a total fleet of over 400 buses an over 27 million customers served each year. HNS employs nearly 980 bus operators, maintenance employees, and administrative personnel; the company administers an annual operating budget of over $100 million. CTtransit is owned by, and management reports to staff of, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Public Transportation.

Early history

Public transportation in Connecticut dates back to the 19th Century, with the introduction of horse-drawn trolley lines in many towns across the state. In 1901, the Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company was formed to operate and extend electric powered trolley services. These operations were leased to the Consolidated Railway Company in 1906 and, a year later, merged with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.

In 1910, the New Haven Railroad formally sublet all of its street railway operations to the Connecticut Company, and service continued to expand throughout the next two decades. By 1924, the Connecticut Company operated some 1,640-passenger cars over a network of 834 miles of trolley track.

Both the New Haven Railroad and Connecticut Company suffered financial setbacks during the Depression years. In 1936, the Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company (CR&L) returned to the transit business, having petitioned the Federal courts for restoration of its original transit property when Connecticut Company was not able to maintain lease payments. CR&L operated bus motor coaches on all of its lines. Although the manufacture of transit buses was virtually halted during World War II, new production after the war allowed the Connecticut Company to complete the replacement of all its former trolley lines in 1948.

The 1950s inaugurated a period of decline for public transportation nationwide. Suburbanization, increased automobile ownership, public investment in new highway construction, and declining profitability in the transit business led to a vicious circle of rising fares, service cuts, and declining ridership. Following the abandonment of its various local operations, the Connecticut Company was sold in 1964 to the Colony Company, headed by E. Clayton Gengras.

The CR&L surrendered its last transit operating franchises in 1973, and in June 1976 Gengras sold the three remaining divisions of the Connecticut Company (Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford) to the State of Connecticut.

Public ownership

CT Transit bus #8306, built in 1983, at Seashore Trolley Museum

When the Connecticut Department of Transportation acquired the assets of the Connecticut Company, it contracted with a private management company to operate the system. Since 1979, First Transit, Inc. (formerly ATE Management and Service Company and Ryder/ATE) has provided contract management services to the State in managing the day-to-day operations of CTTRANSIT. H.N.S. Management Company (the letters symbolize the three divisions: Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford) is a wholly owned sub corporation of First Transit, established as the legal entity to perform the management contact.

Today, the management of CTtransit reports to CTDOT’s Bureau of Public Transportation. CTDOT staff performs directly many functions that support the day-to-day transit operation, such as capital procurement, long-range planning, and Federal grant applications. In addition, CTDOT exercises oversight of the CTtransit operation through the budget process, authorization of major capital expenditures, service and fare policy, and monthly financial and performance reporting.

Divisions

CTtransit is arranged into multiple divisions:^[2]

• Hartford Division, the largest division of CTtransit, providing local and express bus service within Hartford County, connecting to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority in Enfield, Connecticut near the state line, 9 Town Transit and Middletown Area Transit at the Middletown bus terminal, CTfastrak at Westfarms Mall, and the CTtransit New Britain Division in downtown New Britain. This division operates seven days a week.
• New Haven Division, serving the city of New Haven and nearby suburbs, with connections to the Greater Bridgeport Transportation Authority at Derby-Shelton Station, Milford Transit District and the Coastal Link at the Connecticut Post Mall, 9 Town Transit at the Madison Scranton Gazebo and CTtransit Waterbury Division. Service is provided seven days a week.
• Stamford Division, serving the Stamford area, with connections to the Bee-Line System in White Plains and Port Chester, Transport of Rockland in White Plains, and Norwalk Transit and the Coastal Link in Norwalk, Connecticut. Bus service is provided seven days a week.
• Waterbury Division, serving the city of Waterbury and immediate surrounding areas with local service Connections are available to New Haven Division and CTfastrak to Hartford in downtown Waterbury. Service is provided seven days a week on most routes.
• New Britain and Bristol Divisions, providing local service in New Britain and Bristol and surrounding towns seven days a week, with connections to CTtransit Hartford along the Berlin Turnpike, Meriden Square Mall, and in downtown New Britain.
• Meriden Division, serving the city of Meriden with three local routes. Connections are available to Middletown Area Transit and CTtransit New Haven C route at the Meriden Railroad Station, and to the New Britain Division at Meriden Square Mall. Service operates Monday through Friday with a limited Saturday schedule.
• Wallingford Division, consisting of two routes that loop on an hourly basis around the town of Wallingford, Connecticut, connecting to CTtransit New Haven in downtown Wallingford.
• CTfastrak, a bus rapid transit system with routes operating on a dedicated roadway between Hartford and New Britain, as well as connecting routes operating on regular roadways to outlying towns.

CTtransit Bus Stop for the Hartford 5W-Windsor Locks and 30-Bradley Flyer routes.

Governance

CTtransit is operated by HNS Management/First Transit, serving Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford. DATTCO and New Britain Transit provide service in New Britain and now New Britain Transit operates the Bristol Service. The Northeast Transportation Company operates the Waterbury, Meriden, and Wallingford divisions of CTtransit. CTtransit is overseen by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which also provides the operating budget.

Environment

In early 2012, HNS Management made a gesture to reducing their environmental impact through the installation of a PureCell stationary fuel cell system for their headquarters on Leibert Road in Hartford, Conn. The fuel cell provides 400 kilowatts (kW) of power to the 330,000 square-foot facility. Thermal energy from the fuel cell will be used to pre-heat two boilers that support the building’s primary heating system.^[3]

By generating power on-site with a fuel cell, CTtransit will prevent the release of more than 827 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually – the equivalent of planting more than 191 acres of trees. The reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions compared to a conventional power plant are equal to the environmental benefit of removing more than 102 cars from the road. In addition to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the PureCell system will enable CTtransit to save nearly 3.6 million gallons of water annually.^[4]

Fleet

Builder, model	Year Built	Fleet Numbers/ Division	Powertrain	Notes	Photo
MCI 102-DL3	1995	9511-9515	Detroit Diesel Series 60/ Allison B-500R6	Originally purchased by the State of CT DOT for Peter Pan Bus Lines for use on commuter runs, then retained by CTtransit for service on the Stamford Division's I-BUS Express. Retired from daily service in 2010 and replaced by 2010 MCI D4500CTs. Stored in Stamford; mainly used for Metro North Railroad replacement service and on rare occasions can be spotted on the I-BUS Express Being replaced by 2003 MCI D4500
New Flyer D40LF	2001	102-113 New Haven 118 New Britain 123-132 Stamford	Detroit Diesel Series 40E/ Allison B-400R5	101-127 have transit seating. 128-136 were leased to Norwalk Transit District (NTD) but have since been retired or transferred for suburban use. 102-105 are reserved for Metro North Railroad and Shore Line East replacement service. 108 is a spare for the Union Station Shuttle. It has no farebox. Currently being replaced - to be retired by Fall 2017. 101, 106, 114-117,119-122, & 133-136 retired. 123, 124 & 126 are in Stamford as MNRR substitution buses.
New Flyer D40LF	2002	201-240 Hartford	Detroit Diesel Series 40E/ Allison B-400R5	All retired
MCI D4500	2002	A221-A222 Collins Bus	Detroit Diesel Series 60/ Allison B-500R6	Operated by Collins Bus Service for CTtransit. Currently in Stamford as MNRR substitution buses. Currently being replaced - to be retired by winter 2017-2018.
MCI D4500	2003	303-309 Hartford	Detroit Diesel Series 60/ Allison B-500R6	Express service only. After new MCI start service, will move to Stamford for MNRR substitution.
New Flyer D40LF	2003-2004	312-322 Hartford 324-326 Milford Transit District (MTD) 327-329 Retired 310-311, 323, 330-336, 338-371 New Haven 381-385 Waterbury 401-442 Hartford 451-492 New Haven	Detroit Diesel Series 50 EGR/ Allison B-400R5	324-326 are branded for Coastal Link and are leased to Milford Transit District (MTD). 327-329 were also branded for Coastal Link. 327-328 were leased to GBTA, while 329 was leased to Norwalk Transit District (NTD). 327-329 have been retired and replaced. 337 wrecked in an accident. 2003 and some 2004 buses to be retired by Fall 2017.
New Flyer D40LF	2005	501-548 Hartford	Cummins ISL/ Allison B-400R5
MCI D4505	2007	604 Kelley Transit	Caterpillar C13/ Allison B-500R6	Replacement bus for Kelley Transit 250, a 1995 MCI 102-DL3 which was destroyed in the Avon Mountain crash. It is the only D4505 in the CTtransit fleet. To be retired.
New Flyer D40LF	2007	711-753; 761-782 Hartford	Cummins ISL/ Allison B-400R5	711-713 branded for CTfastrak. 761-782 feature suburban seating, and a single door. Express service only.
New Flyer D40LF	2008	801-802 Hartford	Cummins ISL/ Allison B-400R6
New Flyer D35LF	2008	803 NBT	Cummins ISL/ Allison B-400R6
New Flyer D35LFR	2010	A1-A14 NBT A21-A26 DATTCO	Cummins ISL/ Allison B-400R6
MCI D4500CT	2010	1011-1018 Hartford 1019-1022 Stamford A71-A84 DATTCO A85-A87 Kelley Transit A88-A91 Collins Bus	Cummins ISM/ Allison B-500R6	Express service only.
New Flyer XDE40	2010	1023-1036 New Haven	Cummins ISB/ Allison H 40 EP
NovaBus LFSA	2010	1041-1052 New Haven 1061-1073 Stamford	Cummins ISL9/ Allison B-500R6	Split between New Haven and Stamford First 60 ft buses in CT
New Flyer XD35	2010	A31-A47 Waterbury	Cummins ISL9/ Allison B-400R6
New Flyer XDE35	2010	A48-A64 Waterbury	Cummins ISB/ Allison H 40 EP
NovaBus LFSA-HEV	2011	1101-1110 Hartford	Cummins ISL9/ Allison H 50 EP	1101 was originally delivered as 1081. 1101 suffered an engine fire in Fall 2014. It returned Fall 2016.
New Flyer XDE35	2012	1201-1203 Hartford 1204 New Haven	Cummins ISB/ Allison H 40 EP	1201-1203 branded for Hartford's DASH Shuttle (Formerly Star Shuttle). 1204 is branded for New Haven's Union Station Shuttle.
New Flyer XDE40	2012	1211-1212 Hartford 1213-1214 Stamford	Cummins ISB/ Allison H 40 EP	1211 and 1212 were originally assigned to the New Haven Division and were transferred to the Hartford Division in 2014.
New Flyer XDE40	2014	1401-1425;1481-1488 Stamford 1441-1458 Hartford (CTfastrak) 1489-1493 New Haven	Cummins ISB/ Allison H 40 EP	Units 1441-1458 are for CTfastrak
NovaBus LFSA HEV	2014	1426-1429 New Haven	Cummins ISL9/ Allison H 50 EP
NovaBus LFX HEV	2014	1462-1473 Hartford (CTfastrak)	Cummins ISL9/ Allison H 50 EP All units are branded for CTfastrak
Gillig BRT 29' Hybrid	2015	1430-1438,1501-1503 Hartford (CTfastrak)	Cummins ISB/ Allison H 40 EP All units branded for CTfastrak
MCI D4500CT	2014-2015	1475-1480 DATTCO 1510,1512-1513 Collins Bus Service	Cummins ISX12/ Allison B-500R6 Collins Bus service	1510-1513 have newer headlight design
New Flyer XD40	2016-17	1601-1626 Hartford 1701-1748 Hartford 1751-1791(?) New Haven	1601-1626: Cummins ISL9/ Allison B-400R6 1701-1748,1751-1791: Cummins L9/ Allison B-400R6	Currently being delivered. Will replace all 2001-2003 New Flyer D40LFs by end of 2017.[5]
MCI D4500CT	2016-17	1675-1695 Hartford	Cummins ISX12/ Allison B-500R6	Will replace all 2003 MCI D4500, Kelley Transit 604 (2007 MCI D4505), Collins Bus Service 221-222 (2002 MCI D4500) by Fall of 2017.

Funding

CTtransit’s annual revenue is primarily made up of three things: passenger fares, advertising and reimbursements for services run through contracts with state agencies (primarily access to jobs). The State of Connecticut subsidizes the operations of CTtransit in the amount of the annual operating deficit.

Numbers for FY2013:

References

https://www.cttransit.com/routes/local-service

http://www.mcicoach.com/media-center/2017-01-11-ct-dot.htm

External links

• Official website

Public transport in Connecticut
CTTransit buses	Hartford New Haven Stamford Waterbury, Meriden, and Wallingford New Britain and Bristol CTfastrak (BRT)
Other bus agencies	Bridgeport Enfield Estuary Housantonic Middletown Milford Northeast CT Northwest CT Norwalk Southeast Windham
Rail services	Metro-North-operated New Haven Line New Canaan Branch Danbury Branch Waterbury Branch Amtrak-operated Shore Line East New Haven–Springfield Shuttle Acela Express Northeast Regional Vermonter Under construction Hartford Line Proposed Central Corridor Rail Line
Other	Connecticut Rail Commuter Council Connecticut DOT Northeast Corridor