Stagecoach Riders
Voice Complaints
By Courtney Bonoyer

For many riders the Randolph Stagecoach is a wonderful way to get from point A to point B when they don’t have the option of driving themselves. For a number of commuters on the 89er and the River Route, however, the Stagecoach leaves something to be desired.

On Tuesday The Herald met with four Stagecoach riders who said they spoke for many others. They were Camille Olmstead, Lorraine Brown, Karen Matthews and Mary Lewis Webb.

Both routes pick people up from various points in the state and bring them to work at Dartmouth College, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and the VA Hospital. It also brings them home again. However, a number of riders say there is no way to guarantee a ride to work or a ride home. With the rising gas prices, more people are opting to ride the Stagecoach to work at one of those three locations, and it often means that there are more people who need a ride than there are seats. This guessing game with seating, many feel, has gone on for over a year and tends to be much worse during the winter.

Currently there are two buses down and back for the 89er, although the second bus only stops at the VA if there is a request. There are three busses down and back for the River Route though. Commuters often prepay their tickets for their ride to and from work for the whole week, which is around $30, so they feel that since they have already paid for a seat, they should be able to count on that seat being there.

Riders say they are sometimes being left at stops that aren’t the one they wanted. If people can’t get on the first bus, they end up waiting an hour for the next one with no way to know if they’ll even get on that one, they say.

This has been affecting VA employees more than Dartmouth College and DHMC employees, as the VA is the last pick-up on the northbound bus. One of their ideas on how to fix the overcrowding issue is to rotate which pick-up is the last one each day. That way VA employees aren’t consistently the ones left without a ride home.

Riders say that if they have plans in the evening such as picking up a child from school, they know they need to find another way to get to work and back, as they can’t leave it up to chance if they’ll get on the bus. Matthews, a VA employee, said she rode the stagecoach for two and a half years until this past January, when she felt the unreliability was too great and had to completely "change her work schedule and find another way to commute."

For others this simply isn’t an option since gas prices are so high. Olmstead said she saves over $400 a month in gas riding the Stagecoach to work.

So what do these frustrated riders do if they get a capacity alert email from the Stagecoach (which are only sent to VA employees) informing them they may not get on the bus? They scramble to find another way home, taking time out of their day, or in some cases they work an extra hour without pay waiting for the next bus. When the bus comes and it’s clear that not everyone will get on, riders have to decide amongst themselves who will get on and who will not. It creates extra stress and doesn’t bring out the best in people, the riders say.

Some riders have asked the Stagecoach to add more busses or routes or to allow people to stand up on the bus.

As long as a vehicle is considered public transportation, people are allowed by law to stand up during the ride; however, the Stagecoach has not given this option to its riders, although other companies such as Green Mountain Transit Agency has done so..

Another idea that riders have put forward is to create a separate bus for people who live in Sharon, because many people who ride the Stagecoach get on and off at that stop, which is the closest to Dartmouth College, DHMC and the VA.

Hearing Wednesday

The Herald also spoke to Stagecoach manager David Palmer, who declined to comment much.

He said only that he doesn’t agree with what riders are saying and that he does not think that there is a big issue.

He also denied that riders are being told it’s "first come first serve" and to find their own way home.

Rather than respond in detail, Palmer encouraged anyone interested in Stagecoach issues to attend the open hearing on Stagecoach service next week, sponsored by the Stagecoach and the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

The hearing will be Wednesday, July 16 at 7 p.m. at the Royaton Academy Building on Route 14 in Royalton.