SEAT's express bus to Three Rivers a hit in second year
The 20 passengers filling the Southeast Area Transit bus on a recent winter morning reflected a trend: More and more students are taking the express bus to Three Rivers Community College.
At each stop college students climb aboard the public bus, then use the commute time to chat among themselves or study before final exams.
The bus is a lot more crowded than it was last year, its pilot year.
On this bus ride, Tylea Banks, a recent Three Rivers Community College graduate who is continuing to take classes until beginning at Mitchell College, said she likes the convenience. The bus quickly shuttles students from Groton and New London to the Norwich campus without the need for transfers.
Banks, who lives in New London, said attending the community college and being able to ride the bus to campus rather than owning a vehicle, allowed her to save money while remaining close to home.
"If people are worried about how they're going to get to school and back, they're not going to be focused on their studies," said Banks, who was part of the college's express bus committee.
For years, students had lobbied for the bus service. They said getting to classes using the public transit system took up to two hours, and that some had to drop out of school because of transportation issues.
SEAT tried the express bus last year, and agreed this summer to make it a fixed route.
Ridership was modest at first, but after tweaking routes and making other changes, school and transit officials say the service has caught on.
"The response has been amazing," said Meg Wichser, transition and retention specialist at the community college, who said she hopes the bus service will become permanent. She said the bus is "full to the brim" on the morning route and one-third to one-half full on the afternoon trips.
A regular fare is $2, down from $2.50 last year. The college also continued from last year a bus scholarship program - solidifying the program's criteria and application process - to help students who need financial assistance purchase bus passes, Wichser said.
The current schedule operates Monday though Friday, with a morning route and three afternoon loops, when the college is in session.
She said the college is studying how the bus is affecting student retention, but so far has noticed a positive impact on students getting to school. She said 70 percent of the college's students are part-time, and many are also working but don't have cars. A reliable transportation service makes it "much more manageable for them to get to their school, their courses and coordinate with their job," she said.
"Whatever day of the week it is, students are here for the beginning of the classes," Wichser said.
Data from SEAT shows ridership on this route has practically doubled this year. Weekly ridership, from Aug. 25 to Nov. 3, 2014, ranged from 217 passengers in the first week to a high of 346 passengers in mid-October. Last year, weekly ridership reached 149 passengers at its busiest time in early December 2013 but dipped into two-digit numbers at times.
The college attributes this year's increase in ridership to a variety of factors. For one, the college knew about the bus service early on, so it began publicizing it - including through social media - as early as July, so all the incoming students knew about the service.
Both students and nonstudents use the bus, but ridership numbers don't differentiate between the two groups.
Another rider on the bus, sophomore Christopher Guiteras, said taking the bus isn't necessarily cheaper than making monthly car payments, and he wished the bus stopped closer to his house, but the bus is the most convenient option when he can't carpool to school with friends.
SEAT General Manager Michael Carroll said passengers know they can rely on the service.
The state Department of Transportation funds up to 70 percent of the service, with college funds and passenger fares covering the remaining costs, Carroll said in an email interview.
SEAT launched the bus program without a state grant or college funds, which came later in the year.
To fund the service, the college allocates grant funding from the state Department of Higher Education, which is to promote educational access for all students, Wichser said.
"We're thrilled, and we're all just so happy for our students," Wichser said.
"It's gotten very popular. It's been a group effort between SEAT, student government, and so many people involved who have made it work."
k.drelich@theday.com
Twitter: @KimberlyDrelich
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