Connecticut Transit

Connecticut Transit

CT Transit New Flyer DE40LF hybrid 301 in downtown Stamford on the 42 Darien line. This bus is one of the two original hybrid-electric buses in the CT Transit fleet, and was retired in late 2015 due to a crash.
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 CT Transit 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] CT Transit 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

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, a single loop 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, 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.

Commitment to the Environment

In early 2012, HNS Management made a commitment 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 clean, reliable 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 and model	Built year	Fleet Numbers/ Division	Powertrain	Notes
MCI 102-DL3	1995	9511-9515	Detroit Diesel 60/ Allison B500R6	Originally purchased by the State of CT D.O.T. for Peter Pan Bus Lines for use on commuter runs, then retained by CT Transit for service on the Stamford Division's I-BUS Express. Retired from daily service in 2010 and replaced by the 2010 MCI D4500CT's. Currently stored in Stamford and are mainly used for Metro North Railroad replacement service and on rare occasions can be spotted on the I-BUS Express
New Flyer D40LF	2001	102-113 New Haven 101,114-117;120-122 Hartford 118-119 New Britain 123-132 Stamford 133-134 Retired 135 DATTCO 136 Storage(Hartford)	Detroit Diesel 40E/ Allison B400R5	101-127 is in transit config. 128-136 is in Suburban Config. 108 is a spare for the Union Station Shuttle, it has no farebox.
New Flyer D40LF	2002	201-240 Hartford	Detroit Diesel 40E/ Allison B400R5	Active
MCI D4500	2002	A221-A222 Collins Bus	Detroit Diesel 60/ Allison B500R6	Operated by Collins Bus Service for CT Transit
New Flyer DE40LF	2003	301-302	Cummins ISL/ Allison EP40	First hybrid buses bought by CT Transit 301 retired as of 11/27/2015 due to accident
MCI D4500	2003	303-309	Detroit Diesel 60/ Allison B500R6	Used for Hartford express service
New Flyer D40LF	2003	312-322 Hartford 324-326 Milford Transit District (MTD) 327-328 Greater Bridgeport Transit (GBT) 329 Norwalk Transit District (NTD) 310-311,323, 330-371 New Haven 381-386 Waterbury, 391-392 SEAT	Detroit Diesel 50EGR/Allison B400R5	337 is retired due to crash 324-329 is branded for Coastal Link. (CL) (Buses #327 & #328 are assigned for local service in Bridgeport.)
New Flyer D40LF	2004	401-442 Hartford 451-492 New Haven	Detroit Diesel 50EGR/ Allison B400R5	All Active
New Flyer D40LF	2005	501-548 Hartford 551-552 SEAT	Cummins ISL/ Allison B400R5	All Active
MCI D4505	2006	604 Kelley Transit	Detroit Diesel 60/ Allison B500R6	This bus is the replacement for Kelley Transit bus 250, a 1995 MCI 102-DL3 which was destroyed in the Avon Mountain crash. It is the only D4505 in the CT Transit fleet.
New Flyer D40LF	2007	711-753; 761-782 Hartford	Cummins ISL/ Allison B400R5	761-782 are suburban buses with one door used only for Hartford express service 711-713 are branded for CT FASTRAK
New Flyer D40LF	2008	801-802 Hartford	Cummins ISL/ Allison B400R5
New Flyer D35LF	2008	803 NBT 804-805 SEAT	Cummins ISL/ Allison B400R5	All active
New Flyer D35LFR	2010	A1-A14 NBT A21-A26 DATTCO	Cummins ISL/ Allison B400R5	All active
MCI D4500CT	2010	1011-1018 Hartford 1019-1022 Stamford A71-A84 DATTCO A85-A87 Kelley Transit A88-A91 Collins Bus	Cummins ISM/ Allison B500R6	Used only for express bus service in Hartford and Stamford
New Flyer XDE40	2010	1023-1036 New Haven	Cummins ISB/ Allison EP40
NovaBus LFSA	2010	1041-1052 New Haven 1061-1073 Stamford	Cummins ISL09/ Allison B500R6	Split between New Haven and Stamford First 60 ft buses in CT
New Flyer XD35	2010	A30-A47 Waterbury	Cummins ISL09/ Allison B400R5	Active
New Flyer XDE35	2010	A48-A64 Waterbury	Cummins ISB/ Allison EP40	Active
NovaBus LFSA-HEV	2011	1101-1110 Hartford	Cummins ISL09/ Allison EP50	1101 was delivered with the number 1081 but has since been changed 1101 is out of service due to fire
New Flyer XDE35	2012	1201-1203 Hartford 1204 New Haven	Cummins ISB/ Allison EP40	1201-1203 is branded as dash 1204 is branded for Union Station Shuttle
New Flyer XDE40	2012	1210 1211 & 1212 Hartford 1213 & 1214 Stamford	Cummins ISB/ Allison EP40	Active
Gillig BRT 35' HEV	2013	1301-1302 SEAT	Cummins ISB/ Allison EP40	First Hybrid units for SEAT
New Flyer XDE40	2014	1401-1425;1481-1488 Stamford 1441-1458 Hartford (CTfastrak) 1489-1493 New Haven	Cummins ISB/ Allison EP40	Units 1441-1458 are for CTfastrak 1481 is OOS from accident on 1/23/16
NovaBus LFX	2014	1462-1473 Hartford(CTfastrak)	Cummins ISL9/ Allison EP50	All units are branded as CTfastrak)
Gillig BRT 29' Hybrid	2014-2015	1430-1438,1501-1503 Hartford (CTfastrak)	Cummins ISB/ Allison EP40	Operating All units are in CTfastrak livery
MCI D4500CT	2014-2015	1475-1480, 1510-1525 Hartford (CTfastrak)	2014: Cummins ISX/ Allison B500R6 2015: Cummins ISL9/ Allison B500R6	All are operating 1510-1525 has the new headlight design 1510 has grey headlights
NovaBus LFSA HEV	2014	1426-1429 New Haven	Cummins ISL9/ Allison EP50	Active

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:

Passenger Fares	$26,214,835
Advertising Revenue	$781,804
Service Reimbursements	$8,627,668
Total Revenue	$35,624,307
Total Expenses	$121,969,197
Total Deficit	$86,071,890

References

1. Operations Statistics for the Biennium - CT Transit local bus services
2. CTtransit route breakdown
3. "CT TRANSIT sets Another Green Example: Installs PureCell? System from UTC Power and Expands Commitment to Reducing Environmental Impact". istockanalyst.com.
4. "CT Transit purchases fuel-cell system". metro-magazine.com.

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/nebuses/rosters/connDOT.htmll

External links

• CT Transit Homepage