Stagecoach Will Add
Two Commuter Busses
By Courtney Bonoyer

The Stagecoach Transportation Co. will add two busses to cope with the growth in the number of riders on its two commuter routes, Stagecoach Manager David Palmer announced this week.

His announcement came one day after a July 16 public hearing, hosted by the Stagecoach and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT), to get riders’ feedback about the services of their regional public transit system. The hearing attracted about 50 people and included a lot of testimony about overcrowding on the River Route and the 89er, the two busses that serve people commuting to work in the Lebanon-Hanover area.

In a news release to The Herald, Palmer said the Stagecoach would add one bus to each route.

"The mid-morning and early afternoon trip for the River Route will be moved to operate at commuter times," he explained. Adding another 89er bus will require an application for funding to the Vermont Agency of Transportation in early August, he said.

At presstime Wednesday, the Herald heard from Sen. Patrick Leahy’s office that public transportation providers in Vermont will receive$1,556,689 in U.S. Department of Transportation grants for new busses and equipment.

"With spiking gas prices, more Vermonters are leaving their cars behind, and even more people want to if public transit is available," Leahy said. "These funds will help these communities handle the new ridership demands that they are trying to meet."

The Stagecoach, which covers Orange and Windsor Counties, will receive four buses, more than any other public transit provider, Sen. Leahy said.

"It is certainly welcome news," said Stagecoach Manager David Palmer. He cautioned that "further information is still needed from the Vermont Agency of Transportation as to the timing of the release of these funds to the state and then their availability at the local level.

"It is assuring that the Stagecoach has the necessary equipment to help keep pace with the rising demand for public transportation service."

Since ridership goes up during the fall and winter months the Stagecoach is hoping to make the changes to the River Route and the 89er by September.

The high cost of gasoline has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of riders in both routes.

At the July 16 hearing at the Royalton Academy building, most of the riders present were commuters on the two routes, plus a few senior citizens. Everyone who came was asked to fill out a paper with his or her name, what service they used and anything they liked and disliked.

All riders who wished to speak were given a chance, which led to some heated moments. At one point Mary Lewis Webb, who has been critical of the Stagecoach, got up to speak and started reading a letter she’d written that was multiple pages in length. Since there were so many people who had asked to speak everyone was asked to keep their comments to two and a half minutes or less.

When Webb’s letter ran over the two and a half minute mark one of the representatives from the Vermont Agency of Transportation warned her that she was going over her time limit. Webb said that other people in the crowd had given her their two and a half minutes and continued reading her letter. The representative reminded her she was still going over several more times; however, Webb continued to read until she was done.

After that the AOT representative reminded people that they were not supposed to talk longer than two and a half minutes and to please not run over that time. That did not please a number of people in the room, who voiced their frustration loudly and at the same time, insisting that they should all be heard.

No-Standing Policy

On another occasion one man went to the front of the room when it was his turn to talk and asked the representatives from the Vermont Agency of Transportation if it was a state rule that riders couldn’t stand up on the bus if there were no available seats. The AOL said it wasn’t.

Palmer then confirmed that the no-standing rule was a Stagecoach safety policy, not a requirement. The man then told Palmer that it was "a stupid rule."

Many riders first pointed out how much they appreciated having the Stagecoach’s services and mentioned the things they liked such as the drivers’ attitudes.

The main reasons commuters chose to ride the Stagecoach were saving money and trying to be environmentally friendly, they said, and none of the riders wanted to have to go back to driving their cars.

After expressing their appreciation for the service, however, many riders pointed out the things they felt needed to be fixed, such as the overcrowding. Many said they had been "bumped" to a later bus either on the way to work or on the way home, which, they said, led to a great deal of stress and frustration. They claimed that many of their co-workers would like to ride the Stagecoach but after hearing about people being "bumped" chose not to.

Some riders felt that there should be extra runs not only to accommodate the numerous riders but to also the various work schedules. Another idea was providing a van for the Sharon riders, as there were more of them than there were at any other stop and they were also the closest to work.

There were also some ideas brought up about interconnecting different modes of public transportation to make it easier to go on longer trips.

After all of the riders who wished to speak had done so, Palmer responded that the Stagecoach was working with the AOT to come up with plans on how to improve the Stagecoach and the rising number of riders.

He said that all of the input from riders gathered that night would be taken into consideration.